If you’ve come this far, you must be looking for Japanese tattoos, right? You are in the right place! Here you will find a good variety of tattoos about Japan to inspire you. Towards the end of the page you will also find information about meanings. Let’s see it!
Japanese flower tattoos
Japanese tattoos of this type focus on three different flowers: the chrysanthemum, the cherry blossom and the lotus flower. In all cases they have specific symbols that we tell you at the end of the page.
Tatuajes de dragones japoneses
Los dragones también son elementos muy importantes en la cultura oriental, especialmente en el este de Asia. Por eso el estilo de tatuaje japonés se caracteriza por emplear dragones en sus diseños.
Japanese carp tattoos
Carp or Koi are animals that also have a powerful symbolic load in Japanese culture, which is why Japanese tattoos usually include them.
Japanese dragon tattoos
Dragons are also very important elements in Eastern culture, especially in East Asia. That is why the Japanese tattoo style is characterized by using dragons in its designs.
They are characterized by an important color and by representing growth, wisdom and old age.
Japanese samurai tattoos
The samurai are undoubtedly the most characteristic cultural element of the Japanese country, at least among Westerners. Samurai tattoos can be truly spectacular.
Japanese letter tattoos
The Japanese alphabet has two versions, a complex one and a simplified one. But, if you don’t know Japanese, make sure that before tattooing the letters mean what you want.
Japanese mask tattoos
The hannya masks or Japanese masks are an important element of Japanese culture. They are used in traditional theater to express the darkest emotions that human beings can feel.
Japanese tattoos on the arm
Small Japanese tattoos
Meaning of Japanese style tattoos
Japanese style tattoos are, in short, very diverse, peculiar and particular. It is easy to distinguish a Japanese tattoo at first glance, because the designs follow very clear artistic guidelines.
The motives that make up the Japanese style tattoo designs are those that we have detailed above, and now I am going to tell you a little more about all of them. Starting with the flowers, before deciding if you want a Japanese-style flower tattoo you may want to know what it means.
Chrysanthemums are flowers that represent Japanese royalty, and are even present on the shield of Japan. However, in other eastern countries it is a symbol of honesty, loyalty and wisdom.
Also, the lotus flower symbolizes wisdom in Japanese tattoos, as well as purity of spirit and kindness. Finally, the cherry blossom is related to the ephemeral and fragile, and was a flower widely used by the samurai.
Precisely, the samurai were warriors who appeared more than a thousand years ago and who followed a strict code of conduct based on honor, fight and sacrifice, which They mixed with other philosophical currents.
The dragons or ryu, on the other hand, represent the most mythical part of all its cultural elements in Japanese culture, and were imported into this culture from China. They are, like the lotus flower and carps, a symbol of wisdom. A Japanese dragon is distinguished from any other oriental dragon because it has three claws instead of four.
Finally, the Japanese masks or hannya are, as I told you above, a symbol of our less kind feelings, and they represent the most terrible part of beings. humans. Therefore, to remember the monster that lives within us, many people get hannya tattoos.
Japanese tattoos and yakuza
A curiosity about Japanese tattoos is that until recently they were a symbol of the Japanese mafia or yakuza. Within the imagery of Japan, until a few decades ago the yakuza was reserved the right to tattoo their entire body or “horimono”, as a sign to show that they can endure pain and command respect. p>
And don’t think that only men tattoo their entire bodies, women also do it, especially the wives of the heads of the yakuza clans. In the yakuza, which are an extremely patriarchal type of subculture, only the boss’s wife has the right to be respected like him.
Other types of customs are common among the yakuza in addition to tattooing, since they are a caste that practices many rituals, such as cutting off their little finger if they make a serious mistake , or follow principles of absolute courage and loyalty.
The traditional style of Japanese tattoo requires a particular way of tattooing, which includes, in addition to the designs we have listed above, an elongated rod ending in a needle. This process is more painful than the typical one using pedal machines.
However, in recent years it has become increasingly popular to follow this style in other regions of the world, and also in large areas of the body. For this reason, Japanese tattoos are becoming less and less stigmatized.
This is so to the point that, timidly, among young people in Japan certain small tattoos, and not so small ones, are beginning to be normalized. However, many tattooed people are forbidden in places such as public bathrooms, to avoid problems.
And the thing is that in previous generations, that is, among the elders, always so respected in Japanese culture, tattoos continue to be a symbol of the mafia , power, dishonor and black money.
The most popular places where you can see Japanese-type tattoos are on the back, arm and forearm, and on the calf. The trend is for men to tattoo more visually aggressive symbols, such as dragons and samurai, and for women to opt for flowers.
This characteristic is a cultural mix between East and West, because while in the western part of the world flowers are associated with the feminine, in Asian countries flowers are associated with both sexes.
As you have seen, you have a large number of options when it comes to Japanese tattoos. If you are passionate about Japanese culture (or, at least, the style of their tattoos), you should not miss this opportunity.
Japanese flower tattoos
Japanese tattoos of this type focus on three different flowers: the chrysanthemum, the cherry blossom and the lotus flower. In all cases they have specific symbols that we tell you at the end of the page.
Tatuajes de dragones japoneses
Los dragones también son elementos muy importantes en la cultura oriental, especialmente en el este de Asia. Por eso el estilo de tatuaje japonés se caracteriza por emplear dragones en sus diseños.
Japanese carp tattoos
Carp or Koi are animals that also have a powerful symbolic load in Japanese culture, which is why Japanese tattoos usually include them.
Japanese dragon tattoos
Dragons are also very important elements in Eastern culture, especially in East Asia. That is why the Japanese tattoo style is characterized by using dragons in its designs.
They are characterized by an important color and by representing growth, wisdom and old age.
Japanese samurai tattoos
The samurai are undoubtedly the most characteristic cultural element of the Japanese country, at least among Westerners. Samurai tattoos can be truly spectacular.
Japanese letter tattoos
The Japanese alphabet has two versions, a complex one and a simplified one. But, if you don’t know Japanese, make sure that before tattooing the letters mean what you want.
Japanese mask tattoos
The hannya masks or Japanese masks are an important element of Japanese culture. They are used in traditional theater to express the darkest emotions that human beings can feel.
Japanese tattoos on the arm
Small Japanese tattoos
Meaning of Japanese style tattoos
Japanese style tattoos are, in short, very diverse, peculiar and particular. It is easy to distinguish a Japanese tattoo at first glance, because the designs follow very clear artistic guidelines.
The motives that make up the Japanese style tattoo designs are those that we have detailed above, and now I am going to tell you a little more about all of them. Starting with the flowers, before deciding if you want a Japanese-style flower tattoo you may want to know what it means.
Chrysanthemums are flowers that represent Japanese royalty, and are even present on the shield of Japan. However, in other eastern countries it is a symbol of honesty, loyalty and wisdom.
Also, the lotus flower symbolizes wisdom in Japanese tattoos, as well as purity of spirit and kindness. Finally, the cherry blossom is related to the ephemeral and fragile, and was a flower widely used by the samurai.
Precisely, the samurai were warriors who appeared more than a thousand years ago and who followed a strict code of conduct based on honor, fight and sacrifice, which They mixed with other philosophical currents.
The dragons or ryu, on the other hand, represent the most mythical part of all its cultural elements in Japanese culture, and were imported into this culture from China. They are, like the lotus flower and carps, a symbol of wisdom. A Japanese dragon is distinguished from any other oriental dragon because it has three claws instead of four.
Finally, the Japanese masks or hannya are, as I told you above, a symbol of our less kind feelings, and they represent the most terrible part of beings. humans. Therefore, to remember the monster that lives within us, many people get hannya tattoos.
Japanese tattoos and yakuza
A curiosity about Japanese tattoos is that until recently they were a symbol of the Japanese mafia or yakuza. Within the imagery of Japan, until a few decades ago the yakuza was reserved the right to tattoo their entire body or “horimono”, as a sign to show that they can endure pain and command respect. p>
And don’t think that only men tattoo their entire bodies, women also do it, especially the wives of the heads of the yakuza clans. In the yakuza, which are an extremely patriarchal type of subculture, only the boss’s wife has the right to be respected like him.
Other types of customs are common among the yakuza in addition to tattooing, since they are a caste that practices many rituals, such as cutting off their little finger if they make a serious mistake , or follow principles of absolute courage and loyalty.
The traditional style of Japanese tattoo requires a particular way of tattooing, which includes, in addition to the designs we have listed above, an elongated rod ending in a needle. This process is more painful than the typical one using pedal machines.
However, in recent years it has become increasingly popular to follow this style in other regions of the world, and also in large areas of the body. For this reason, Japanese tattoos are becoming less and less stigmatized.
This is so to the point that, timidly, among young people in Japan certain small tattoos, and not so small ones, are beginning to be normalized. However, many tattooed people are forbidden in places such as public bathrooms, to avoid problems.
And the thing is that in previous generations, that is, among the elders, always so respected in Japanese culture, tattoos continue to be a symbol of the mafia , power, dishonor and black money.
The most popular places where you can see Japanese-type tattoos are on the back, arm and forearm, and on the calf. The trend is for men to tattoo more visually aggressive symbols, such as dragons and samurai, and for women to opt for flowers.
This characteristic is a cultural mix between East and West, because while in the western part of the world flowers are associated with the feminine, in Asian countries flowers are associated with both sexes.
As you have seen, you have a large number of options when it comes to Japanese tattoos. If you are passionate about Japanese culture (or, at least, the style of their tattoos), you should not miss this opportunity.