Travel & Leisure Facts and Notes

Japanese tattoos are a great choice for a tattoo design. They are one of the most magnificent of all of the mythical beats. The power and elegance of these beautiful mythical beasts warrant the great attention that is paid to them in the world of tattoos. The Japanese have a long tradition of tattooing and that combined with the dragon as a design is one of the best tattoos available. If you are thinking about getting such a tattoo then it can be helpful to learn about some of the symbolism, history and gather ideas about the design before you get your tattoo.

Japanese Dragon Tattoo Possibilities

Dragon tattoos are amazingly flexible and the look, feel, and design choices you make an give a totally different symbolism and feel to the dragon. A fierce fiery red dragon with a red body wrapped around a large samurai sword will symbolize strength and power. Whereas if the dragon where high in the sky flying above some beautiful mountain lake then the design might represent freedom and peacefulness. So the symbolism and what the dragon design portrays is really dependent on the stylistic choices you make when designing the tattoo such as look, feel, location and etc.

The History Of The Dragon In Japan

Dragons play a central role throughout Japan. In Japanese they are called Ryu or Tatsu. They are large serpent like beasts that are covered with scales. They typically live near large bodies of water and throughout history have come to be respected as a powerful creature. It is such a powerful creature that it is believed the first emperor of Japan was descended from a dragon and therefore directly from a power god.

Throughout Asian the dragon is a very significant animal that is part and parcel f the culture. In Japan like many other countries that Dragon is a sacred animal that has always inhabited the earth. There are numerous stories, myths, and legends as well as extensive art and design work.

One can see the improtant role that dragons play in Japanese culture through their extensive sculptures. It is common to see statues of dragons at an alter, temple and other places of worship. For example at the Sonsoji Temple in Asakusa Japan the dragon statue is one of the most predominate features. An even more famous spot is at Miyajima also know as The Isles Of The Temple. This temple is a famous spot for travelers, tourist and religious. They all come here to pray to the dragon and ask for good fortune and good luck in the up and coming year.

Each spring the dragon is taken and paraded around the grounds of the Sensoji temple. During this festival thousands of people come from all over Japan to drop coins into a wooden box as a donation and gift to the temple and an offering to the dragon in hopes that the dragon will give them good luck. This festival is done each spring to commemorate the finding of the gold Kannon, an image of the goddess of mercy. It is believed that in 628 AD two brothers were fishing in the Sumida river at the time they discovered this beautiful statue of the Goddess of Mercy Kanon. At the time they discovered this legend states that gold dragons flew up out of the river and in to the sky to celebrate the discovery.

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.

Not only can the dragon be found in the sculptural and architectural works done by the Japanese but it can also be found in the literary works. For example there is the famous story os an eight headed serpent like that eats young women whole. Susanoo (the hero) is able to trick the serpent. He offers the serpent some sake to drink and then proceeds to get the serpent drunk. He then slays the evil eight headed beast, Yamata-No-Orochi.

As you can see form above the dragon is prevalent throughout the Japanese culture and their are many examples of this mythical beast in the art and architecture. The dragon can also be found throughout many of the more traditional tattoo designs. Thus gives you a wide variety of options to choose from and can help in getting the perfect tattoo you want. The most common location for a large dragon tattoo of course is the back. This makes a great back piece and the design can be done very large and therefore with a lot of detail. However you are not locked into only getting a back tattoo. If you want something a little smaller or for whatever reason don’t want a back piece a dragon can easily be done on your shoulder, calf, and even a sleeve tattoo design.