Personally, I think tattooing is easier than airbrushing. Tattooing is a craft, moreso than it is an art. Yes, it really, really helps to have some artistic talent, but all the talent in the world doesn't matter if you don't know how to apply it with the machine.

It's really incredibly counter intuitive to traditional art. For one, you always do the darkest colors first. Two, skin isn't paper or canvas. You have to understand the skin and adjust your equipment appropriately. Three....the damn machine always has to be facing the right direction, so you have to learn to draw lines at very funny angles. :)

Japaneese work, happens to be one of my specialties. The problem with trying to duplicate or even just imitate the old wood cuts is that white is a b5 of the highest order to get into skin. It never comes out quite how you want it. The company that comes up with a really good opaque white ink will make a fortune.