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Sep
09

Japanese Dragon Tattoos



A Japanese Dragon is a great choice of tattoo.  Time a care is required when researching the best design for you as there are many dragon types and styles, all with very different meanings.If you already know what you want and are looking for design templates – then head straight to Chopper Tattoos who have a great selection to choose from.

Japanese Dragon Tattoos are colorful tattoo designs which are symbolic, with origins from myth and folklore. The dragon is seen as a water deity and tattoos often include clouds, lightning, and waves.Dragons were popular with firefighters in the 19th century mainly because of their dual associations with fire and water.

In Japanese culture the dragon is associated with supernatural powers and extraordinary wisdom.  It is also seen as a mediator between life and death, good and evil, freedom and fear, yin and yang.  To the wearer, the tattoo depicts strength, wisdom, wholeness and bravery.

The Japanese Dragon tattoo is also popular with Yakuza (the Japanese mafia).

The Anatomy of a Japanese Dragon

The Japanese dragons anatomy is made up of parts from other animals, particularly they have:

  • no wings.
  • a serpentine-like form (esp the neck)
  • the head of a camel.
  • the horns of a stag
  • demonic eyes
  • scales of a carp (koi).
  • the paws of a tiger.
  • claws like an eagle.
  • long whiskers or bearded.

Examples of Japanese Dragon.

  • Sui-Riu is a dragon king and controls the rain.
  • Han-Riu has many stripes on his body and to forty feet in length. One of the largest dragon.
  • Ka-Riu is a brilliant red color and dragon tiny compared to the others.
  • Fuku-Riu is a dragon favorite of many people because it is a luck dragon.
  • Hai-Riyo known as bird dragon, and the most advanced form of a dragon. It evolved from Chinese mythology.
  • Ri-Riu dragon is a rare species that are not well understood. However, it is known that they have an amazing eye.

Some famous dragons from Japan include:

  • The Blue Dragon – the Protector of the Zodiac
  • O Goncho – A white dragon that once every fifty years transforms into a golden bird. Its cry brings famine.
  • Uwibami – More akin to the stereotypical evil Western dragon, Uwibami was a great beast that would snatch men from their horses and eat them.
  • Yofune-Nushi – Another less than pleasant dragon who craved female human flesh and demanded a maiden sacrifice once a year.

Colouring of Japanese Dragons

The colours of a dragon are also significant:

  • Black, white, blue and red coloured dragons are described as corresponding with the four elements (wind, earth, water and fire), as well as with the four directions (north, south, east and west).
  • Yellow dragons are rare.  They are a great friend when you need help and have a reputation for staying aloof from humanity, only emerging at opportune moments.
  • Green dragons are connected to the earth.
  • Black dragons means their parents are very old and wise. green dragon is smaller than average, but the representation of life and earth.
  • Gold-coloured dragon are special because they have many attributes such as wisdom, kindness and ability to face challenges in the head.
Sep
09

Japanese Tattoos – Tebori


Tebori (hand-tattooing) has largely been replaced now by Yobori (machine tattooing).  Tebori give a far superior finish as it creates a gradation of tones that are difficult to achieve using a tattoo machine.

Traditional Japanese Tattoos (irezumi) are carried out by specialist (often illusive) tattooists using the Tebori method.  It is estimated that there are about one hundred recognized practitioners of alive today in Japan.

Full body irezumi (tebori)  is painful, time-consuming and expensive: a typical traditional body suit (covering the arms, back, upper legs and chest, but leaving an untattooed ‘river’ down the center of the body where an unbottoned shirt or coat could conceal the tattoo) can take up to ten years to complete, with weekly visits to the tattooist and can cost in excess of US$30-50,000.

It is estimated that approximately twenty thousand Japanese have half body tattoos, with about two hundred carrying on with a full body tattoo.

Sep
09

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


I thought I would share with you a great book that I recently finished – ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ by Steig Larsson (winner of the British Book Awards, Best Crime Thriller of the Year, 2009).I am not what you would call a book connoisseur or acclaimed critic, but I thought the book was a gripping, rip roaring crime thriller, which was virtually impossible to put down (meaning quite a few late nights, particularly as the second and third books are just as good – yawn).  The films are great too.This is how Amazon sums up the story …

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder – and that the killer is a member of his own family. He employs journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate.

When the pair link Harriet’s disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.

Sadly the authour did not live to see the worldwide phenomenon his trilogy has become.

Personally, I think a fair rating for the book overall is 90% – highly recommended.

Sep
09

Japanese Kanji Symbols Tattoos

The use of Japanese symbols is rarely used for tattoos in Japan – but is increasingly popular in both America and Europe.

Japanese Kanji are of Chinese origin – and are a simplification of the Chinese characters.  There are about 50,000 kanji characters to choose from.

Remember to choose a symbol encompasses a part of one’s personality to a significant degree. Symbols expressing a momentary, fleeting emotion are generally not recommended in any regard.

Make sure you double check the meaning of the symbol – we have heard many horror stories of inappropriate symbols being used.

Sep
09

Japanese Koi Tattoos

The work Koi comes from the Japanese (meaning ‘carp’), or more specifically, ‘nishikigoi’ (meaning ‘brocaded carp’) is a ornamental, brightly coloured (white, golden or orange), domesticated freshwater fish that is often found in public ponds.  Although Chinese in origin, the Koi is celebrated for its manly qualities in Japan.

If you already know what you want and are looking for design templates – then head straight to Chopper Tattoos who have a great selection to choose from.

In Japan, the koi is a strong symbol of masculinity.

The term also sounds like a Japanese word for “love,” so the brightly colored fish are popular symbols of friendship, affection or love.  Koi is also seen as a symbolic value of abundance and wealth, and as a personification of warriors and spiritual guides.  In tattoo imagery, especially in combination with flowing water, it symbolizes much the same:  courage, the ability to achieve lifes goals and overcoming obstacles.

Koi tattoos can simply be an indication of love or affection.  A tattoo of a Koi swimming upstream against the current or climbing a waterfall could depict someone who is struggling to overcome lifes problems, whereas a koi flowing downstream could depict someone who has overcome difficulties.  A Red Koi usually symbolises love and a Dragon Koi represents overcoming difficulties.

The most popular colours for Japanese koi tattoos is black and white.  If you have dark skin you can choose natural color such as red,yellow and black colour.

Sep
09

Japanese Tattoos – Glossary of Terms

Glossary of some Japanese tattoo terms

Irezumi: Insertion of ink under the skin
Horimono: This is another word for traditional Japanese tattoos.
Horishi: Tattoo artist.
Bokukei: Punishment by tattooing.
Tebori: The technique of tattooing by hand.
Hanebori: The technique of tattooing by hand using a feathering motion.
Tsuki-bori: The technique of tattooing by hand using a thrusting motion.
Kakushibori: Tattooing of hidden body areas.
Kebori: Tattooing of fine lines.
Sujibori: The outline of a tattoo.
Yobori: The Japanese-English slang term for tattooing done with the machine.
Sumi: The ink used to tattoo
Hikae: Chest tattoos
Nagasode: Arm and / or  wrist tattoos

Sep
09

Japanese Tattoos – Irezumi

Irezumi is a Japanese word that refers to the insertion of ink under the skin to leave a permanent, usually decorative mark; a form of tattooing.

Traditional irezumi is carried out by specialist (often illusive) tattooists.  It is estimated that there are about one hundred recognized practitioners of jrezurni alive today in Japan.

Full body irezumi is painful, time-consuming and expensive: a typical traditional body suit (covering the arms, back, upper legs and chest, but leaving an untattooed ‘river’ down the center of the body where an unbottoned shirt or coat could conseal the tattoo) can take up to ten years to complete, with weekly visits to the tattooist and can cost in excess of US$30-50,000.

It is estimated that approximately twenty thousand Japanese have half body tattoos, with about two hundred carrying on with a full body tattoo.

Sep
09

History of Japanese Tattoos

Welcome to the Japanese Tattoos website.

To start with here is a brief history into the History of the Japanese Tattoo.Evidence of tattooing (for spiritual and decorative purposes) in Japan extends back to over 12,000 years ago.  Archaelogists have found clay figures called dogu that show markings around the forehead, eyes, cheeks and lips and have suggested that these may indicate tattoos.In the Kofun period (300–600 AD) tattoos were used as a way of marking criminals as a punishment (similar to that used on slaves in ancient Rome), often with marks depicting their crime.

Until the Edo period (1600–1868 AD) the role of tattoos in Japanese society varied significantly. Tattooed marks were still used as a form of punishment, but it was during the latter years (post 1800) of the Edo period that Japanese decorative tattooing (or horimono) began to develop into the advanced art form it is known as today.

The most important artist in terms of the development of Japanese tattoing was Kuniyoshi who illustrated a Chinese novel called Suikoden which had been translated into Japanese.  Kuniyoshi’s illustrations showed heavily tattooed warriors with tattoos of koi, dragons, ferocious tigers, mythical beasts and religious images.

In the 1800′s skilled woodblock artists started to diversify and use their skills and tools as tattoo artists.  The technique known as tebori (‘to carve by hand’) was used whereby steel needles were secured in a row to bamboo rods to were pushed into the skin.

Scholars are unsure still as to who wore such tattoos.

At the beginning of the Meiji period the Japanese government made tattooing illegal as a way of tidying up the Japanese image, which drove tattooing underground, and soon tattoos became somewhat of a status symbol within criminal gangs.  For many years, traditional Japanese tattoos were associated with the Yakuza, Japan’s notorious mafia (even after re-legalisation in 1945).  It is estimated that about 70% of Yakuza members are tattooed.

We hope you enjoy the rest of the Japanese Tattoos site – please feel free to leave us any feedback or send us your Japanese Tattoo photos.

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