Since 1986, he has used the pen-name Gengoroh Tagame, and since 1994 Tagame has lived off the profits of his art and writings. Tagame's works have been published in several Japanese gay magazines, including Sabu, G-men and SM-Z. In an interview with Vice he said 'Bill had an exceptional quality beyond what I found in Japanese gay art at that time'. It featured a drawing by Bill Ward, who made a strong impression on his art. Around this time on his first trip to Europe he discovered the American hardcore S&M gay magazine DRUMMER.
Born into a family descended from samurai, Tagame began his career as a manga artist in 1982, while he was studying graphic design at Tama Art University (多摩美術大学).
