Asian Tattoos Meanings: Body Art

Asian tattoo designs have begun to work their way into Western culture over the past few decades. This is primarily due to the fact that they are beautiful designs that can have deep symbolic meaning. They also have an exotic feel to them that I think is very attractive to many Westerners. I know that I have loved these tattoos for quite a while now.

There are some things you should consider before running out and getting an Asian tattoo, however. One thing is to properly do your research on the symbols and their meanings.

This is especially true if you plan of getting an Asian tattoo design that is composed of Asian symbols. It is important to know what these mean before you get them inked into your skin. After all, you don’t want to end up with a phrase or word that is completely opposite from your intended meaning or get an Asian tattoo that is completely ridiculous.

Another thing to consider is the style of Asian tattoo that you want to receive. There are many different Asian cultures, but the two that are the most prominent in the West are those of Japan and China. These two forms of Asian tattoos have similar styles but often have meanings that are quite different from each other. So make sure that you take the time and do your homework.

Asian tattoos are unique to the culture of Asia and have meaning stemming from modern times to ancient rituals throughout the orient. Being that the Asian culture is so rich with history dating back thousands of years, you would expect that Asian tattoos have a verity of different meanings and influences. Anyone who decides to get an Asian tattoo is very unique and doesn’t mind attaching themselves to a history of tradition and accomplishment thousands of years in the making.

The style of an Asian tattoo have changed over the years, traditional tattoos were done using tebori where by a bundle of needles were dipped in an ink made of charcoal and patted vigorously over the skin to create deep vivid black lines. This bold shading is now a trademark of Asian tattoos and is kept alive in modern designs in a style now known as chiaroscuro.

The images seen in Asian tattoos can vary as much as the culture with literally hundreds of designs to pick from, most popular are probably Kio fish, Dragons, and the art form known as Kanji. The majority of Asian style tattoos take meaning from Chinese or Japanese fokelore but images from around the continents play host a verity of designs unseen anywhere else in the world.