Below we shall look at the meaning of the most popular images and their symbolism.
Otherwise the final result could be catastrophic. It is essential to understand the meaning of any image but for Japanese tattoos, it is crucial. Japanese tattoos meaning – understanding the symbols The group of figures includes images from the folklore – Tengu (ghosts) and Oni (demons) as well as Suikoden (geisha, samurai), Buddha and Buddhist deities. The most popular image in the group of flowers is, of course the sakura (cherry blossoms) followed by Chrysanthemums, lotus and peonies. The group of animals features mythological monsters like dragons as well as tigers, lions, birds, koi fish and snake. There are three major groups of images which are typical for the Japanese style tattoos – animals, flowers and figures. They feature intricate details, intriguing images from mythology and folklore and the compositions follow strict rules – for example, a Buddha figure cannot be placed below the waist as this is considered disrespectful, clouds are placed above the waist as they represent the sky while waves should be below the waistline, combining flowers and animals also has its logic – a koi fish swimming upstream is paired it with maples or chrysanthemums since they swim upstream only during the fall. Japanese style tattoos are instantly recognizable. The images which are used represent the personal beliefs of the man and are blended in a way to tell a story. Each component of the whole image must contain a sense and characterize the person. The composition of a Japanese tattoo is very important. As we mentioned, Japanese style tattoos are large sized, quite complex and due to that they are applied for more than one day, so if you consider such a tattoo, you need to be prepared that it will take several visits to the studio. Moving images are also a Japanese innovation – the tattoos are applied to muscle areas. Usually, tattoo designs are asymmetric and the contour is made with very thin lines. These are wood-block prints produced by ukiyo-e artists. The traditional images are called ukiyo-e – “images of the floating world”. This principle applies to Japanese tattoos as well.
This is a part of Japanese traditional culture, and without it the Japanese would lose their sense of beauty. In Japan the most beautiful thing is the one that is not obvious, not exposed to the eye. Types of Japanese tattoos and traditional images
JAPANESE 4 ELEMENTS TATTOO MANUAL
Many modern Japanese tattoo masters still use the manual method of painting the body and do not use electric devices. For example, lions, dragons and demons are combined with flowers, indicating a balance of strength and beauty. In traditional Japanese tattoo culture there are many images. Nevertheless, even nowadays, wearing tattoos in Japan is not encouraged. This changed during the 17 th century when tattoos were allowed to ordinary people and became popular among Yakuza members. Former prisoners, too, decorated themselves with large-scale ornaments and patterns. Because of these prohibitions, Japanese tattoos were applied to parts of the body that could be covered – legs, chest, hands and with time they became a distinctive feature of actors and geishas. Why were tattoos forbidden? Because society had a clear division into classes and if everyone had body drawings it would have led to a mixing of classes. Tattoos were forbidden by law for anyone else. It was believed that if the firefighter died, he could be identified by the drawings. Tattoos were allowed only to firefighters, so they decorated their body with very intricate drawings. In the past, tattoos were banned in Japan, with one unusual exception. In these tattoos several elements and images are combined and there are no empty areas between them – all the area is filled with ornaments. They have become famous for the huge scale compositions. Irezumi is the official term for ancient pigment modifications. Japanese tattoos vary in style, symbols and appeared hundreds of years ago.