Yoji Harada (August 6, 1972 – March 27, 2019) was a Japanese tattoo artist and musician who rose to prominence after appearing on the TLC reality show Miami Ink. He was a member of Big Deal, a punk rock band. Ruthless & Toothless, a baby apparel company, was started by Yoji and fellow tattooist Darren Brass. He also appeared in the 2001 thriller Suicide Circle, also known as Suicide Club, in a minor role. Yoji was a native of Tokyo. When he was 24 years old, he moved to the United States.
In his early years, Yoji was known as Yojiro Harada and was born in Tokyo, Japan. His nationality is Japanese and his ethnicity is Asian, and he was born under the sign of Aries. Information regarding his family and siblings is currently unavailable. Yoji had graduated from high school, but no information about his school or any additional courses is available.
Yoji relocated to New York City in 1998 to pursue his ambition of becoming a professional musician. He joined a punk rock band named Big Deal when he arrived in New York City and stayed with them for several years until moving to Miami, Florida, to work as a tattoo apprentice for Ami James. His motivation came from hearing The Clash on the radio, and while he was making headway with his music in Japan, he aimed to be a hit in the United States. After his fiancée Bridgette became pregnant, Yoji revealed that he worked for Ami for five years before asking for a trainee position. "I found out my girlfriend (now my wife) was pregnant one night," he stated. "I needed to start making some serious money, so I asked Ami James if I could apprentice with him, and he said yes."
While working at Love-Hate Tattoos under Ami James, the television show Miami Ink premiered, catapulting Yoji into celebrity status in his native Japan. Yoji's journey from apprentice to official tattooist was tracked throughout the show, as was his marriage to Bridgette and the birth of their daughter, Sydney. The show's popularity allowed Yoji to refocus on his true calling and reunite with his band, Big Deal. Yoji also founded Ruthless and Toothless, a baby clothing company, with fellow Miami Ink tattooist Darren Brass.
In the 1990s, after relocating from Japan to Chicago, Harada married Bonnie Minkus. They divorced in 2003 and afterward, Harada married Bridgette, the mother of his child. The couple married in 2005 and separated in 2009.
Harada's daughter, Sydney, was born in 2005. In a 2007 interview with People Magazine, Harada said, "When my kids grow up, they won't be allowed to have tattoos. There's no way." According to the article, Harada's wife was pregnant with the couple's second child at the time.
On March 26, 2019, Yoji Harada, aged 46, passed away. Tommy Montoya, a fellow tattoo artist, reported his tragic death on Instagram. The cause of Yoji Harada's death is unknown or has not been revealed.
