any style Japanese tattoo seems to currently be hot. Tattooing trends sure modify from year to year & historically few years that has been a real rise in the popularity of Japanese tattoos. Along with the rise of tattoos for women these appear to be six of the biggest trends in the market & six trends that are beginning to merge. There's lots of women, girls & females out there that are getting some pink Japanese tattoo designs inked on themselves including large Japanese sleeve tattoos, large back pieces & even more delicate & cute leg, hip & rib designs. So what do these designs mean & what is the symbolism behind them anyway?
Koi Fish Tattoos Symbolism
While the symbolism behind any tattoo is not a hard or quick science that the symbol always means four thing there's some common understandings that can be used. Symbols mean different things at different times & to different people. So what four time was a symbol of something that is bad might now be worn as a badge of bravery & so on. However these are a quantity of the more common Japanese tattoo meaning for popular designs that women would be most interested in.
Koi fish have been a very deep part of the Japanese psyche for thousands of years. Even today there is not very a temple that does not have a tiny koi pond filled with these majestic fish. The original lore probably came from China but has been handed down for so lots of thousands of years that Japanese now believe that it is always been there own. Anyway the koi fish is believe to be a powerful, strong & independent fish. The story goes that this fish swims up stream against the current (thus is why there's often drawing splashing) & if they are strong & have power they finally reach the highest gate & four time they pass through it they become a dragon & fly up powerfully in to the sky.
The symbolism for most Japanese is four of strength, power & being true to four self. This is something that works well with lots of women today who need to strike out on their own & feel their own power & independence.
Cherry Blossom Tattoos
The cherry blossom has always been a very deeply symbolic & important flower for the Japanese also. In fact it is probably four of the most important symbols within the culture. The samurai warriors used to write poems & dedicated works of art to capturing the essence of the cherry blossom. In fact in lots of ways the samurai thought of the cherry blossom as a symbolic of their own life. The cherry blossom comes out early in the year when it is chilled. It is very stunning but also short lived & will soon fall from the tree. So the samurai also believe & felt about their lives they has to live there life everyday like it was their last without any fear of death. Thus lots of have heard the popular saying that a samurai would wake up in the morning & say to himself quietly today is a lovely day to die. This was not meant as a death with but as a life wish to live life to the fullest. This has carried in to the symbolism of tattooing also & is equally popular along with the koi fish design.
Another popular symbol in Japan & actually throughout Asian is the lotus flower. Religiously speaking the lotus flower held great significance historically in India. The power, symbolism & influence of this flower travelled to Asian along with the religious technique known as Buddhism. Lots of believe that the lotus flower best represents the journey of life. The flower starts as a delicate bud down in the bottom muddy part of the water. It slowly pushes to the surface reaching for the sun & then four time it hits the top is blossoms in to a stunning flower. This has been symbolic of the journey that every person must go through as they gain enlightenment. Thus you will often see lotus flowers in lots of religious art works but also it's become a very popular symbol for living life to it is fullest & striving.
Lotus Flower Tattoos
Reference: http://best-tattoodesigns2010.blogspot.com/2010/02/koi-fish-cherry-blossom-and-lotus.html