Oriental dragons are equally at home in the air or in the water. in the Japanese dragon tattoo, however, it symbolizes something very different. In the west, it is a greedy, fire-breathing, cave-dwelling, and fear-inspiring creature that jealously guards its hoard. Make sure your tattoo artist specialises in this style, and further more, he/she has a true knowledge of these symbols, otherwise you may end up (as I have seen so many times already) carrying an “upside-down-joke” koi, representing your failure for the rest of your life. However, the art of combining these symbols together will determine the final and individual meaning behind your tattoo piece. Japanese Tattoo Meaning – The following is a brief explanation of the most frequently used symbols in Oriental style tattoo. Traditional Irezumi (an art form in itself) is still done by specialized tattooists, it is painful, very time-consuming and expensive: a typical traditional body suit (Vest or jacket, long or Short Sleeves, Long or Short Pants, and traditionally leaving an un-tattooed space down the centre of the body) can take, on average, one to five years of weekly visits to complete, showing that the person with heavy Irezumi will finish what he or she starts and can be very respected for it, and the imagery that is in a persons Irezumi can be viewed to see the aspirations of that individual. For many years, traditional Japanese tattoos were associated with the Yakuza, Japan’s notorious Mafia, and many businesses in Japan (such as public baths, fitness centres and hot springs) still ban customers with tattoos. Tattooing was legalized by the occupation forces in 1945, but has retained its image of criminality. There is a story that the British monarch, King Edward VII had a Japanese tattooist brought to him and had dragons put on his fore arms and then sent the tattooer to New England to have his friends in America tattooed by him as well, as a gift of good will & friendship. Nevertheless, fascinated foreigners went to Japan seeking the skills of tattoo artists, and traditional tattooing continued underground. TATTOOS IN MODERN JAPANĪt the beginning of the Meiji “1869″ period the Japanese government, wanting to raise its image and make a good impression on the West, outlawed tattoos, and Irezumi took on connotations of criminality. It is known for certain that Irezumi became associated with and proudly worn by the firemen, dashing figures of bravery and roguish sex-appeal who wore them as a form of spiritual aid and protection, thus the revered “Suit of Nine Dragons” to give power over wind and water. Others claim that wealthy merchants, barred by law from flaunting their wealth who wore expensive Irezumi under their clothes. Some scholars say that it was the lower classes who wore such tattoos. There is academic debate over who wore these elaborate tattoos. Woodblock artists began tattooing, using many of the same tools for tattooing as they did to create their woodblock prints, including chisels, gouges and, most importantly, unique ink known as Nara ink , or Nara black , the ink that famously turns blue-green under the skin, which is the true look of the tattoo. Wearing Irezumi is an “Aspiration” to life’s goals. The impetus for the development of the art was the progression of the woodblock prints and notably the “hero’s heavily decorated with Irezumi”. The Traditional Japanese Tattoo “Irezumi” is the decoration of the body with mythical beasts, flowers, leafs, and other images from stories, myths and tales. It was in Japan, in the Edo period, that “decorative” tattoo began to develop into the advanced art form it is known as today. Until the Edo period in Japan (1600–1868) tattoos, world wide, were done with marks and symbolism rather than imagery. Japanese Tattoo Meaning is very strong and before you decide to make a Japanese tattoo, please, make sure that you have all the necessary information about its meaning. Really Loved this article by Irezumi Art UK which can be good start… Also I will be adding here more creatures and elements with the time.
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