Japanese Tattoo History

In Japan tattooing is called Irezumi which denotes to inserting ink beneath the skin. There are some that think the art of tattooing in Japan dates back to at least 10,000 BC still there has never been any definitive proof to back up this belief.
What we do know for a fact is that tattoo designs were seen and mentioned by Chinese travellers between 300 BC and 600 AD. This does not affirm the widespread popularity of tattoos as it was also during this time that tattoos were looked at in a very negative light, outlaws were being marked with them as a form of penalization so that they would always be recognizable in any society that they subsisted.
From 1600 " 1868 the popularity of tattoos in Japan was very much up and down. Although they were still being used to mark criminals they were also being used a lot more frequently for decorative purposes and it was at the end of this time that tattooing began to develop into the amazing art form that we are so familiar with today.
A sudden spike in the popularity of tattoos was caused by the release of a great Chinese novel called Suikoden. Within this book there were many images of men that were heavily tattooed with elaborate designs of dragons, mythical creatures, tigers and flowers as well as a lot of religious imagery.
The many tattoos that were inspired by Suikoden were performed with chisels and gouges and the ink that was used was called Nara Ink which became hugely famous because of the fact that it turned blue-green when put under the skin.
Tattoos were banned in Japan in the very late 1800s but once again became legal in 1945. Today the art of tattooing remains legal across the country however it is still frowned upon by some due to the inescapable connection with the criminal underworld.

Skin Tattoos and Tattoo Artist

Skin tattoos have been present for the longest time now and are more famous today than they were back then. This for of art has been around for more than a thousand year already. Anyone can see them just everywhere. Certain studies presented that approximately 35 percent of the American population aging between 18 to 30 years old have tattoos. People get a tattoo or tattoos for different reasons. For the most part, tattoo represents a statement of one’s individuality and self-expression. Majority of the adults feel a lot sexier with a tattoo at some part of their body.

A tattoo, or otherwise known as dermal pigmentation, is a permanent mark, pattern, or design created by inserting pigments into the second layer of the skin. It is done by pricking the skin with specially designed needles dipped into indelible ink. Tattoos on human are some form of artistic body modification, while tattoos found on animals are used for branding or identification.

Japanese tattoo art has a lot of names - irezumi and horimono in the Japanese language. Irezumi is the word meant for the basic visible ink covering huge parts of the body like the back. Japanese tattoo art has a extremely extensive tradition.

Since the influence of Confucianism and Buddhism over the Japanese culture, tattoo art has a damaging connotation for the majority of the Japanese individuals. In the eyes of an ordinary Japanese a ink is considered a mark of a yakuza - a member of the Japanese mafia - and a macho emblem of members of the lesser classes.

Tattoo Asian

Tattoo Asian is as much famous as the tattoo Sanskrit or tattoo Russian among the people. People want to get the Asian types of tattoos because they think that Asian symbols are really cool and extraordinary. In fact these tattoos are the real piece of art and somehow the great piece of conversation, in sense that people want to know about these tattoos and want to know the meaning of these tattoos. It is very important to know the exact meaning of the tattoo before going to get tattooed it. Because sometime people get these tattoos without knowing the meaning and after that they feel embarrassment.
Tattoo Asian is very famous but its hot favorite design is Asian dragon, which is very popular among the young people and they are crazy about this. Dragon is the legend figure in the Asian culture and it is also very famous among other Asian countries such as Japan. China, Korea. But there have a few differences among them that make them different from each others. Such as Japanese dragon has five claws, where as in Chinese culture five clawed dragon is reserved for the emperor.
Tattoo Asian is famous but the most favorite tattoo is Japanese dragon because it has long whisker and there is jewel on its chin that makes it different and unique from the other dragons of different cultures. There are huge difference between the Asian dragon and the western dragon; Asian dragon is symbol of power and it belongs to the emperor and imperial families and it shows the power and status, while in western countries dragon is viewed as pure evil and it represent the evil or sinful. So in Asia, people like the dragon tattoo because it represents the richness and power and it belongs to the highly respected creatures.

Meaning of Koi Fish Tattoos

Popularly, koi fish tattoos are associated with good luck and perseverance, the basic qualities required for a successful life. The story of koi fish swimming upstream against the current of water to reach the top of the dragon gate waterfall, can be interpreted as the struggle against the odds of life to reach the desired goal. So, koi fish tattoos represent ambition and aspiration, which can be achieved only after overcoming the obstacles of life.

In Japanese culture, koi fish also symbolize love along with good fortune. The act of swimming upstream against the current of water depicts strength in adversity. In Chinese culture, koi fish are the symbol of good luck, masculinity and strength. It is a well known fact that koi fish are very energetic and have the innate ability to adjust to any kind of climate and water conditions, for which they are supposed to symbolize strength and determination

Japanese tattoo art has a lot of names - irezumi and horimono in the Japanese language. Irezumi is the word meant for the basic visible ink covering huge parts of the body like the back. Japanese tattoo art has a extremely extensive tradition.

Japanese Tattoo Designs For Women

Japanese tattoo designs have been experiencing a real revival in recent years and with the beautiful designs it is easy to see why. The Japanese have been doing tattoos for thousands of years and they have developed an some of the most beautiful designs and tattoo themes ever. If you are thinking about getting a Japanese tattoo design for women then here are some ideas and guidance that will help you in making your decision.

Japanese Dragon Tattoo Designs and Meaning

The Japanese Dragon Tattoo is a very beautiful and colorful tattoo design and very symbolic, with its origins in myths and folklore. It is also very mystical, adding to the appeal of the Japanese dragon tattoo. Over the ages, from Egyptian times the dragon has represented good and also represented evil. However, the attraction of the Japanese dragon, apart from its stunning beauty is that it represents good luck and the source of wealth. The Japanese dragon also represents the meaning of freedom and being fearless, both very attractive qualities.

In the Greek language, dragon is sourced from draca, which means serpent.

Like the angel, the Japanese Dragon also has the meaning of guardianship, providing a protective force over those it was associated with. Other meanings associated with the Japanese dragon is strength and power. In Japanese culture the dragon is associated with supernatural powers, and amazing wisdom.

There are six forms of the Japanese Dragon. They are:

Sui-Riu is the king Dragon and is in control of the rain. Therefore in this day and age of drought he is all powerful!

Han-Riu has many stripes on his body and is up to forty feet in length. One of the biggest dragons.

Ri-Riu dragon is a rare breed that is not well understood. However, it is known that they have amazing eye sight.

Ka-Riu is a brilliant red color, and a petite dragon in comparison with the others.

Fuku-Riu is a favorite dragon of many people as it is the dragon of luck.

Hai-Riyo is known as the dragon bird, and the most advanced form of dragon. It evolved out of Chinese mythology.

The colors of the dragons have special significance, which are based on their parents. For example a dragon with a black color means their parents are very old and wise. Green dragons are smaller than average, but are representative of life and of the earth. Gold colored dragons are special because they have many special attributes such as wisdom, kindness and the ability to face challenges head on.

Yellow dragons represent the east. They are great companions when you need a hand, but can be self absorbed at times. Blue dragons are from the west. They are forgiving and compassionate, but on the negative side can be lazy and uncaring when it suits them.

Finding the right Japanese Tattoo Design for you can be quite daunting. Check out all the free sites on the net to get as many ideas as you can. Just remember that many other people have done the same thing to get ideas. For example, last month, over 41,000 people searched for dragon tattoo designs on Yahoo. Apparently, roughly 8 times that amount check out Google for the same search term. Then there is MSN and the other search engines. So a huge amount of people see the same free designs as you. If you want original Japanese Dragon tattoo designs, it is recommended that you check out books or other sources of tattoo designs that are not freely available. I have checked out three Japanese dragon tattoo galleries on the internet that have from 3,500 to 6000 different designs, so you will have no trouble finding what you want.

Japanese Tattoo Art

Japanese tattoo art has a lot of names - irezumi and horimono in the Japanese language. Irezumi is the word meant for the basic visible ink covering huge parts of the body like the back. Japanese tattoo art has a extremely extensive tradition.

Since the influence of Confucianism and Buddhism over the Japanese culture, tattoo art has a damaging connotation for the majority of the Japanese individuals. In the eyes of an ordinary Japanese a ink is considered a mark of a yakuza - a member of the Japanese mafia - and a macho emblem of members of the lesser classes.

The Early History of Japanese Tattoo Art
Archaeologists believe that the initial settlers of Japan, the Ainu citizens, used facial tattoos. Chinese papers tell concerning the Wa inhabitants - the Chinese name meant for their Japanese neighbours - and the individuals lifestyle of diving into water for fish and shells and decorating the total skin with tattoos. These reports are in the region of 1700 years old.

For the superior developed Chinese culture, tattooing was a barbaric undertaking. As soon as Buddhism was brought from China to Japan and with it the solid influence of the Chinese culture, tattooing got destructive connotations. Criminals were marked with tattoos to punish and identify them within society.

Tattoos in the Edo Period
In the Edo period - 1603-1868 - Japanese tattoo drawings became a part of ukiyo-e - the suspended world culture. Prostitutes - yujos - of the pleasure quarters used tattoos to improve the individuals appeal for customers. Skin tattoos were furthermore used by labourers and firemen.

From 1720 on, the tattooing of criminals became an formal punishment and replaced taking away of the nose and the ears. The criminal received a ring ink around the arm in support of every offence or else a character ink on his temple. Tattooing criminals was continued until 1870, at what time it was abolished by the new Meiji government of the Japanese Emperor.
This visible punishment produced a further genre of outcasts which had no place taking part in society and nowhere to go. A lot of these outlaws were ronin - master less samurai warriors. They had no alternatives than organizing gangs. These men created the start of the yakuza - the controlled criminals inside Japan inside the twentieth century.

Japanese Tattoo Prints
In 1827 the ukiyo-e artist Kuniyoshi Utagawa published the original 6 emblems of the 108 Heroes of the Suikoden. The Suikoden were something like ancient Robin Hoods - honourable bandits. The story is based on a classic Chinese novel - Shui-Hi-Chuan, which dates from the 13th and 14th century. The novel was initially translated into Japanese in 1757 by Okajima Kanzanion. By the turn of the 18th to the 19th century the story was available with illustrations by Katsushika Hokusai. The novel of the 108 honourable bandits was extremely accepted in the sphere of Japan and created a kind of Suikoden trend amongst Japanese towns inhabitants.

Kuniyoshi's Suikoden ukiyo-e emblems bare the heroes in colourful, detailed body tattoos. Japanese ink prints and tattoo drawings in general at that moment became stylish. Tattoos were considered iki - cool - however were restricted to the poorer classes.
The richness and fantasy of the Japanese tattoo print emblems made known by Kuniyoshi are used by a quantity of ink artists up to this generation.

The Meiji Restoration until Postwar Japan
Within its strive to adopt Western civilizations, the Imperial Meiji government outlawed tattooing as something thought about a barbaric relict of the past. The funny thing was that the Japanese irezumi artists right away got brand new customers - the sailors from the foreign ships anchoring inside Japanese harbours. As a consequence Japanese ink designs was spread to the West.
In the course of the first half of the twentieth century, horimono remained a forbidden art form until 1948, as soon as the prevention was officially lifted. A few say that this step had become crucial to permit the demand by soldiers of the American occupation forces for horimono and irezumi.

Tattoo Art in Modern Japan
A number of younger individuals may well think about tattooing being cool, the majority of the Japanese population still considers it while something connected to the gangland of mafia gangsters and a rough low caste tradition at the finest. Younger folks who consider tattoos as iki - a marginal amongst Japanese youth - tend to use partial tattoos inside Western style on the persons upper arms, someplace it is not directly visible.

Tattoo Design - Tattoo Design for Girls

girl with tattoo design

girl with tattoo design

Designs of tattooing - a fast history of tattooings
Tattooings have a rich history of the tradition, tonics thousands and thousands of years. In the course of time, there always were a big role of the tradition and ritual behind tattooings. In the past, the women in Borneo employed tattooings like manner of marking their qualifications. Tattooings were also employed in the past like manner of keeping left diseases and the disease, while placing tattooing around the fingers and on the wrist. Through the history, tattooings were also employed to symbolize a clan, or the company, as well.

The goal of tattooings differed from the culture to the culture during time. Research proved that tattooings earliest come from Egypt for the period of the pyramids, although the majority believe they started much earlier. Egyptians currently were supposed to employ tattooings like manner of marking the slaves and the peasants. Tattooings deviated in China and then above in Greece, where the Greeks employed tattooings like manner of communicating among spies. Along the manner, Japan also incorporated the use of tattooings as well. The Japanese people employed tattooings for religious and ceremonious rites. During this era, the women of Borneo were the artists. They produced the designs which indicated that the individuals move in the life and the tribe which it was affiliated with. Tattooings were very popular during nowadays, although the infections were completely common. Tattooings were far from the improvement, which showed in the manner that they were made