The Tattoo Temple

The thing about Japanese Tattoos is they are both clandestine and open and this is precisely what makes them so fascinating. With the backing of their rich culture, history and allusions to meanings behind images, Japanese Tattooing was all about hand made stuff. Machines came in very late to the Japanese Tattoo scene.

In the west Tattoos have grown as a ever growing collection of designs, but in Japan the tattoos are on a big scale, based on the entire arm or leg or even as total body tattoos starting from the neck to the feet.

Here we will tell you the important factors about Japanese tattoos designs and what they mean. So when you get one you know what it means.

Japanese tattoo designs have to be fascinating and irresistible for most people who are into body art; after all who can resist the dragon motif or the colorful Koi or the Kanji design? Japanese are very skilful and subtle in their rendering of body designs and their designs even depict shades and shadows. You may not see such nuances in western tattoos.

Tattoos in Japan can be traced to the Jomon period. The word Jomon literally means the design of the rope. And many pots with designs of this sort were found from this time. According to some scholars think that these dogus have marks on face and body that look like tattoos.

Let us talk about designs in the Japanese tattoos:

The Dragon: The creature of legends marked by bravery and tales of nobility who can resist a dragon? What is more a dragon is visually an impressive creature. With its wings and a snout that can spit fire, it can vanquish enemies within seconds. A tattoo design featuring a dragon can be colorful, deeply mystical and totally inspiring. With the painstaking rendering of the design by hand, a Japanese tattoo of a dragon is something you will be proud to display.

Koi: Colorful jewel like, auspicious and brave. All these things are just a few ways to describe this Carp. Bred especially for its visual appeal, this carp becomes both a living piece of art and piece of jewelry that breathes. By getting a Koi tattoo on your body, you get to have this awesome artwork that has come about by the mingling of nature and man on your body. Plus there is the question of picking a unique design – you always will!

Kanji: Are lettering used to write in Japanese. This is a very simplistic explanation for the word Kanji. But suffice it to say that Kanji can make for very lovely tattoo designs combining both the aesthetical and mystical. Woven with flowers leaves and petals it can make for an exquisite tattoo design, especially when done by hand with the subtle shading that is part of the Japanese way of tattooing.

Wave tattoo: The Japanese have long been associated with the killer tidal waves that are so powerful and destructive. But the hardiness of the Japanese is such that they have stood up to the massive destruction these waves wreak and still be a thriving nation. Having a wave tattoo will not only depict the strength of nature but will also be a frame for your strength to be able to withstand, survive and flourish.

We all know that Japanese believe in detailed and quality work that takes immense patience and dedication in anything they do, their entire culture and work ethic reflects that. Then why should a thing as delicate, as beautiful and as profound as body art be far behind? It is not and Japanese tattoos and tattoo artists rank among the top.

Now, let’s move towards some more examples of Amazing Japanese Tattoo Designs.