Japanese Tattoos - The Hot Looking Japanese Dragon Tattoos
Thursday, July 10th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Truly one of the most majestic and magical of all the mythical beasts the dragon demands the attention it constantly receives in the world of tattoo designs. Dragon are prevalent design and symbolic elements throughout Asia including Chine and especially Japan. This has lead to a great deal of Japanese and Chinese artwork to use this mythical beasts as a central theme in their tattoo design work.
There are a wide variety of different tattoo possibilities with a dragon. There are the issues of location, size and design to consider. The style and look of the dragon can often determines what the person might wish to represent. For example an evil looking dragon that is bearing his large teeth and surrounded by flames and wrapping around a large sword would obviously represent power, strength and the warrior spirit. Where as a dragon that is depicted in a scene above a large body of water or in the clouds in flight might represent peace and beauty. So the style, look and feel of the design will ultimately determine the meaning of the tattoo.
Dragon History In Japan
Dragons are a fundamental mythical animal or beast tot he Japanese people. In the Japanese language dragons are referred to as “Ryu” or often “Tatsu”. They of course are large yet slender serpent looking creatures. Often they live around large bodies of water such as the ocean of a big lake. They are well respected as a creature that has tremendous power and therefore the Japanese believe that the very first emperor of Japan had descended from a dragon and therefore is partially god himself.
Like many of the east Asian countries dragons have a long tradition in Japanese culture, art, architecture and literature. There are numerous stories, temples and shrines where dragons play a central role.
One can see the long history and importance role that dragons play in the prevalent use of dragons throughout Japan. Today it is very common to see dragon sculptures at alters, temples and other places of worship. Miyajima is probably one of the most famous temples dedicated to the dragon. Miyajima means The Isle Of The Temple and is a popular place for religious pilgrimage, tourists and travelers to come and pray to the dragon god for good luck and good fortune. Another famous spot can be found at the Sonsoji Temple in Asakusa Japan.
At the Sensoji Temple the dragon sculpture is taken out each spring and paraded around the temple ground. Thousands of people from all over Japan come to see and participate in this huge festival. This is done to commemorate a major event. The story is about two brothers who in 628 AD were fishing along that bands of the Sumida river. During their fishing trip they accidentally discovered a beautiful statue of the Goddess of Mercy Kanon. It is said that a gold dragon flew up out of the river and into the sky once the discovery was made as a way to celebrate the wonderful finding.
In the Buddhist and even many Taoist traditions the dragon is seen as a mythical beast that represents the hardships that people will have to face and eventually overcome before enlightenment can be obtained.
Dragons are also featured throughout Japanese literary works. One of the first appearances of a dragon like beast is the beast named Yamata-No-Orochi. Yamata No Orochi is a eight headed serpent like beast that devours young women. In the story a man named Susanoo tricks the beast and gets him drunk on Sake and then is able to slay him. In later literary works dragons are seen as much more benign creatures.
Japanese Dragon Tattoo Placement - Since dragons are so prevalent through Japanese art, architecture, and literature there are many different even historically famous tattoo designs to choose from when contemplating getting a dragon tattoo. As far as location the most popular place is a very large full back piece. This allows for a lot of canvas space to truly depict the beauty and power of the mystical beast. You are not just locked into a large back piece however, as there are many different dragon tattoo designs to work with and you can get a tattoo anywhere on your body that you want. Typically calves, shoulders and sleeve tattoos also work well for dragon tattoos. The choice is up to you and what you want and what you are looking to express int he design.
Before you go out and get a Japanese Dragon Tattoo Design then you will want to check out this hot information site full of information. You might also like this site on Free Star Tattoo Designs
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