In the tattooing tradition of Japan, you will recognize that the use of the dragon’s image is very popular. In Japan, the dragon is one of the most beautiful and strongest creatures of all time. The unique physical appearance makes it a very visible symbol in all pieces of art.

The history of tattoo art shows that the common people in Japan liked getting tattoos having the dragon’s image a lot. The dragon’s image is rich in symbolism throughout history and this makes it more mystical in addition to its unique physical appearance.

The location, size and style of dragon tattoo designs have the ability to alter the symbolic meaning of the dragon’s image. For example, the usual picture of a dragon that appears wrapped around a sword and looking at a person with fiery and bright red eyes symbolizes strength and power. On the other hand, the picture of a dragon flying in the sky intends to symbolize freedom.

The Japanese culture has great respect for the dragon. The name given to this creature is tatsu and ryu. The Japanese mainly depict the dragon as a contorted snake with a long body full of scales. According to mythology, dragons reside close to large water bodies and the Japanese think of these imaginary and powerful creatures as deities. As a result of this belief, the image of the dragon is very common with many people in Japan.

The popularity of the dragon occurs in other nations of Asia including China and Korea. In Japan, the works of art that showcase dragon designs are many including fine arts, architecture and sculpture. In our day, dragons still happen to be among the most popular elements of design in Japan.

Japanese alters and temples can be seen hosting large scale sculptures of dragons even now. The Isle of the Temple is one of the most popular places for its dragon statues which serve as a tourist attraction in modern times. For the Japanese the image of the dragon brings good luck and good fortune.

For many people in Western countries today, images of the dragon are trendy. They love dragon tattoos but do not possess any cultural symbolism attached to the image unlike the Japanese.

Presently, artists who make dragon tattoos generally try to attach meanings to them that do not have historical significance. New dragon tattoos commonly can represent moods, feelings or concepts.

This new age perception of dragon art is quite alien to the Japanese who have always thought the dragon to be of great significance. The symbolism of the dragon has also varied within Japan according to the different time periods. For example for the Buddhists and Taoists the dragon represented hardships that were to be faced in order to achieve enlightenment.

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Tags: Tattoos