Japanese Character Kanji Tattoos

Kanji Tattoos

Kanji tattoos are basically ideographic characters. What this means is that each Kanji character represents a WHOLE object, idea, or meaning in a visually expressive way. Kanjis are a popular choice among those seeking Japanese style tattoo designs. With Kanji style characters, you can easily create and express nearly any meaning you want.

However, it is a good idea to keep in mind before you decide upon a tattoo that kanji is based on a different form of language and is unlike English in its construction. The written Japanese and Chinese languages are composed not of individual letters but of ideographs or pictographs. Some characters consist of more than 30 strokes.

If you don’t speak Japanese it is very hard to find characters that say what you want and are not something that will turn heads with native japanese speakers for all the wrong reasons. Kanjis are not really a traditional Japanese tattoo more a style of tattoo. If you are getting a kanji be sure that what you are getting done is not just something that means a lot to you and is going to age well but is accurate in its meaning.

The popularity of kanjis in the West shows no sign of slowing down nor has it necessarily impressed many of those who speak or read Japanese or Chinese fluently. Kanjis may look cool to non Japanese or Chinese speakers but don't always make sense to native speakers.Bottom line...

Japanese Symbol Tattoos

 

Japanese Symbol Tattoos

Japanese tattoos are filled to the brim with symbolism. Some of the most common design motifs of Japanese tattoos include kannon, suikoden warriors and dragons. Let’s take a moment and talk a little about each of these. Kannon is a Bodhisattva of the Mahayana Buddhism. The task of the Bodhisattva is it to support humans on their way to illumination. There are Bodhisattva with several different tasks. Kannon is the Bodhisattva of sympathy and pity. In Japan Kannon is represented by a woman, usually riding a dragon. Suikoden warriors are 108 rebels who carried some tattoos. The illustrations of many different Japanese artists to the adventures of these brigands were used as tattoo flash. Especially the color woodcut series of Utagawa Kuniyoshi was gladly used which was published by the artist in the year 1827. The last motif of Japanese tattoos are of course, dragons. In Japan it is regarded as a luck bringing animal. This may be justified due to the fact that the japanese dragon is a water symbol. He lives either in the clouds, from where he climbs down during thunderstorms, or also in rivers and lakes. Any or all of the Japanese tattoo elements can also be combined with things such as lotus, cherry blossoms and snakes. The variations in this genre are appealing and endless.

 

 Japanese Symbol Tattoos

There are several symbols associated with Japanese tattoos. These include Koi fish, snakes and dragons and they are usually the most well known. The lesser known japanese tattoos are the Hannya Masks and the Kiyo Hime which are represented by the tattoos in the photograph. Little is known by the general public about these motifs so let’s get into a small explanation of the symbols. Hannya Mask are usually thought of as demons, but these are actually terrestrial monsters. Confused human feelings like passion, jealousy or hate can transform women into these dreadful monsters, which are then bound to the earth realm. Kiyo Hime is the best known story of a Hannya demon. Her father owned a harborage in which a monk stopped each year. Over the years Kiyo Hime developed a deep love to the monk but her feelings could not be returned by him. One night Kiyo Hime confessed her love to him and it came to a controversy between the two of them and in which process Kiyo Hime enraged and the monk had to escape. He found shelter in a close monastery and hid himself under an enormous bell. In the meantime, in the intoxication of its hate love, Kiyo Hime had transformed into a demon with the body of a snake and a Hannya head. It sought out the monks hiding place and melted the bell with its fire breath, thereby causing the object of its longing a painful death. As you can see, japanese tattoos are often more then just beautiful designs but almost always carry a deeper symbolic meaning, one that is often infused with a dose of morality.