Dive into the Japanese culture and explore meaning of 50 designs of Yakuza tattoo. Check out this article to choose the one that suits you.
Yakuza is an infamous Japanese mafia group. The most common association with them are large scale, detailed and bright tattoos that cover all body like a suit. If you are looking for inspiration for your next Japanese-style tattoo, this article is for you.
We will look at the most common symbols used for the Yakuza tattoo. We will dive into Japanese legends, traditions, and secret meanings for every symbol. Get ready to be inspired.
Yakuza Tattoos On A Back With Intricate Designs With
Artist uses wooden handles and metal needles attached via silk thread and special ink. The inking process is usually long and painful. Yakuza believe that a larger and more painful tattooing process represents the commitment to the gang.
Modern artists usually use tattoo machines to the process faster and more precise. Finding a real irezumi artist who practices the traditional way of tattooing is a tough task because they are secretive in their work.
The history of the Yakuza dated back to the early 17th century, but the real origin of the gangs is still unknown.
Wanted To Share My Back Tattoo, As I See People Here Like Seeing Tattoos Here. Funny Enough I Started On It Before I Started Playing Yakuza Series.
Many of the burakumin people were criminals, who formed gangs. Selling stolen and scammed goods and operating illegal gambling was the zone of responsibility of these groups, which then formed the Yakuza.
Back in time, tattoos were used as a punishment for criminals in Japan. They were placed in visible places to show everyone and keep society from interacting with outlaws.
Nowadays, Yakuza run criminal businesses all around Japan. Gang members live according to their own ethical code full of dignity and justice.
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Even though it is legally to get a tattoo in Japan, there is a stigma against it. Many people associate tattoos with the criminal world. Ordinary people, as well as yakuza members, get tattoos on the upper limbs, back, chest, abdomen, and legs, so it is easy to hide wearing pants and long sleeves.
Dragons were part of Japanese culture for centuries originating as far back as 680 A.D. Compared to Western mythology in Japan dragons are good symbols. They are associated with wisdom, strength, and protection. Dragons are responsible to control water. Depending on the color the symbolism may vary:
Tiger in Japanese culture has a great deal of meaning like strength, courage, and protection. It was adopted from the Chinese culture and according to the myths, it controls winds.
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Tiger is sometimes combined with the dragon. In Japan, it is a common symbol of yin and yang that creates our universe. Tiger represents yin, he lives on the ground and his power is quiet and accumulates in the string muscles. The dragon stands for yang, it has active energy that causes rain clouds to swirl and waves to form. Both form a perfect balance of forces.
Koi fish in the yakuza tattoo stands for luck, protection, good fortune, strength, and perseverance. Koi fish can adapt to many climate and water conditions. According to the legends, it swim upstream and climbed on the top of the waterfall to become a dragon. In Japan, these fish are also seen as brave samurai warriors.
Cherry blossom or sakura has a deep meaning in Japanese culture. It is an embodiment of beauty and mortality, which becomes a symbol for the samurai. They have a strict moral code and honor. One of the samurais’ virtue is the appreciation of the inevitable death. It was an honor for them to die on the battlefield.
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Theater. Depending on the looking angle the mask can express both anger and pain. It represents strong emotions of rage and sorrow that seized betrayed woman.
According to the legend, the Prince’s mistress named Lady Rokujo was betrayed and ignored by Price after his wife got pregnant. Lady Rokujo was overwhelmed with jealousy and anger so she turned into a demon to kill the prince’s wife.
Regardless of its scary appearance, in Japanese the word “hannya” means “wisdom” and the mask stands for good luck. It is also a symbol of passionate love.
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The peony is a “King of flowers” in Japanese culture. They are elegant, and beautiful, and represent good fortune, bravery, and honor.
Maple leaves appear in Japanese art throughout its long history. It is associated with balance, peace, and beauty. Maple leaves in Japanese are called “kito” which means “calm, ” “rest” or “at peace.”
Namakubi is a brutal tattoo choice. It depicts the final moment of the seppuku or harakiri ritual. The process consists of two stages. In the first one, the samurai insert a knife deep into his abdomen. On the second another samurai completes decapitation. Seppuku procedure is either a voluntary honorable samurai’s death or punishment for serious offenses.
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For the yakuza tattoo, it is common to depict some legendary characters on the body. Below we describe the most interesting and popular heroes.
Jiraya is a protagonist of folk stories. He rides the toad and can use magic to transform it into a gigantic toad.
Kintarō or a Golden Biy is a folk hero child with superhuman strength. He could crash the rocks, beat demons and monsters, and fight giant animals.
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Fudo Myoo is also known as Immovable One. He is one of the Five Bright Kings in Japanese Buddhism and represents solidarity, strength, and unwavering principles. It is believed that he is a symbol of good luck.
Oniwaka Maru is a child name of the folk Japanese warrior monk, Benkei. He represents a man of great strength and loyalty. He is commonly depicted in a revenge fight with giant carp that killed his mother.
The kitsune mask is a fox mask usually used during festivals. Wearing this mask is believed to bring happiness, good luck, and protection. In Japanese folklore, the fox acts like a guardian, a signs of prosperity, and intelligence.
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Tengu is a mask that is used for Noh stage plays that represents a powerful creature from Japanese folklore. Its mask is used as a symbol of protection from evil spirits.
Compared to Western countries, snake or Hebi in Japanese has positive associations. It is a symbol of good luck, rebirth, change, protection from illness, and wisdom.
Phoenix or Hōō is a symbol of a good omen in Japanese culture. It is associated with great luck and peace. According to the legend phoenix never causes harm to any living thing, it brings quiet, peace, and happiness to lands where it appears. It is also connected to the imperial household.
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Samurai is an honorable Japanese warrior. He lives his life according to the ethical code of bushido (“the way of the warrior”). The main characteristics of real samurai are loyalty to the master, honor, discipline, and respect.
Yakuza tattoo has a long history, Developed from the marks of criminals Every element in the Yakuza tattoo has a powerful meaning in Japanese culture, traditions, or history.
While considering a yakuza-style tattoo for yourself, think about the story you want to tell through the pictures. In this article, we give you a very brief overview of each symbol, but we encourage you to research deeper. Contact a tattoo artist, who is specialized in Japanese tattoos. Discuss your ideas to avoid neglection of Japanese culture and symbols’ original meaning.
Got Myself A Koi Tattoo After Playing The Yakuza Series For The Past Year
Yes, you can get a traditional yakuza tattoo. Yakuza doesn’t use tattoos to identify their members, so you won’t run into trouble. These tattoos are personal and based on Japanese legends, symbolism, and art. However, in Japan there is a strong stigma against tattoos, so you might not be able to enter some public places with visible body art.
With the traditional method of inking, it takes around a year of weekly sessions to create a bodysuit. The tattooing machine makes the process faster, but the estimated time is 100+ hours.
A half bodysuit has an estimated cost of around $40 000 – $50 000, while pricing for covering the whole body reaches $100 000. Getting a tattoo from a professional horishi tattoo artist will cost even more because it takes more time to make art and require more professionalism from the artist.
Yakuza Tattoos: History, Meaning, Ideas, Designs
Originally, Yakuza get tattoos as a rebellion against the government because tattoos were used as a punishment for criminals. With time it has become a tradition and the develop its own style of themes of tattooing. Nowadays, it is used to show one’s commitment to the gang.
Are you afraid that your tattoo will not be the same as you want? Use a tattoo transfer paper. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use it.
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