Japanese Dragon Tattoo Designs

This is one of my favorite Japanese dragon tattoos. I like the way it wraps from his shoulder blade, up around the shoulder and down the front of the chest. This Japanese dragon tattoo also has a very sad look on it’s face like it had just been defeated in battle or something. And though I wasn’t sure about it when I first saw it, I eventually came to realize that I really liked the monotone color of this design. I believe this Japanese dragon tattoo to be a symbol of luck and wisdom. Of course all tattoos are about personal expression and therefore the meaning of any tattoo is really derived by the person wearing the tattoo. There are not any hard and fast rules that a tattoo must always represent just one thing. Instead each tattoo and tattoo design will mean something unique and different to the bearer of the tattoo. Therefore any discussion of the symbolism or meaning of a dragon tattoo must be taken in that light. As is the case with any tattoo, the bearer is the one who makes the design special and unique. It should be a personal representation of the person.
Japanese dragon tattoos can be beautiful additions to any collection of body art. But, if your looking for an authentic Japanese dragon tattoo then that can require a little bit of research. And that’s because there is very little known about the Japanese dragon and there are very few good examples available online. But, with a little patience and fore knowledge you can find a design that’s not only beautiful but one that is also to the Japanese dragon motif. The first thing to look for when finding the appropriate dragon is the number of claws on it’s feet. Chinese dragons have four claws, but Japanese dragons only have three. Another thing to consider is that in Japanese dragon tattoos, the dragons are much more slender and serpent like then in other cultures. Many of the famous Japanese dragons can be seen in the picture. From left to right they are Ka Riu, Han Riu and Kanji Ryu. That’s the perfect start from which you can find the design that your looking. And as you can plainly see, a Japanese dragon tattoo can not only be dazzling but also rich in symbolic meaning. So, why not start your quest for one today.

John Mayer Tattoos Location and Designs

It is not a big secret that John Mayer has several tattoos of his own. At first glance you wouldn’t think this clean cut romantic would have quite the tattoo collection, but he does! John has at least 8 tattoos and a huge sleeve on his left arm that covers up a some of his other tattoos. But if you look closely you can still see them.

John’s tattoos include:

1. A Japanese-inspired tattoo that is on his inner left bicep.
2. The word “Home” on his left Bicep.
3. The Word “Life” on his right Bicep.
4. On his Left upper arm “SRV” which stands for Stevie Ray Vaughan, who inspired John to pick up a guitar.
5. On his right bicep a Koi fish.
6. Three squares on his forearm that he is filling in at different times.
7. The numbers 77 on the left side of his chest close to his heart. John was born in 1977.
8. An unknown possibly Japanese artwork on his left inner upper arm.
9. The sleeve on his left arm that has some Japanese artwork including symbolic peonies.
John says his first tattoo was of the Koi fish on his right bicep. Apparently, John had always wanted a tattoo and he enjoyed his experience he had in Japan while he was studying there so that inspired his first tattoo.

“Actually it is kind of a crudely drawn-I think it’s a fish that doesn’t exist in nature, but that’s okay because it exists on my arm. It’s like a Japanese style, like an Asian style fish.

I got when I was 18, I think. I studied Japanese for a couple years and lived in Japan and I could never get a tattoo when I was there because I was too young. So, when I turned eighteen I was like, “Yeah, give me a Japanese tattoo.” Except I got my Japanese tattoo done authentically in Bridgeport, Conn. by a guy that just wanted more black coffee.”
 

All The Tattoos Of Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp, the popular Hollywood star, known to the world for his role in the movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ is one of the many renowned personalities who are fanatic lovers of tattoos. Distressed over some nagging domestic problems and obsessed with a concern for his personal safety, Depp started to injure himself. In fact there are more than seven scars on his body as a result of self inflicted injuries.

Speaking to an interviewer, Depp commented on his self-inflicted injury by thus – “My body is a journal in a way. It’s like what sailors used to do, where every tattoo meant something, a specific time in your life when you make a mark on yourself, whether you do it yourself with a knife or with a professional tattoo artist”.

Depp has at least fourteen tattoos as of now and each tattoo has a specific reason. For instance the tattoo “head of Cherokee Indian chief” is to commemorate his ancestral heritage. The tattoo “Lily-Rose” is because of his first-born child. The tattoo “Betty Sue” is his mother’s name and below this tattoo is curiously a sparrow flying over water and underneath is written his son’s “Jack”. The most recent one is “Silence Exile Cunning” – though it is unclear what the significance is.

One can see a ribbon tattoo reading “Wino Forever” and the story goes that this tattoo was originally “Winona Forever”, and Depp amended it by removing “na” after his estrangement with Winona Ryder. Johnny had this tattoo done at Sunset Strip Tattoo reportedly paying 75 Dollars. Their adline proclaims `Tattooers of the Stars Since 1971′ and proudly announces that Johnny’s `Winona Forever’ double-banner tattoo was done on his right bicep by us to serve as parallel to his tattoo on the left honoring his mother.

It is reported that nearly seven of Depp’s tattoos were done by New York tattooist Jonathan Shaw and interestingly Shaw was the one who played the role of a tattoo artist in ‘Tightrope’ – a Clint Eastwood movie.

It is worthwhile looking into the background of some of Depp’s tattoos.

As stated earlier, “Betty Sue” depicts the standard ‘heart’ tattoo with a ribbon through the middle where the name of his mother written. It is said that such tattoo designs were profusely sported by servicemen to remind them of their homes as also the cause they were fighting for.

The “Inverted Triangle” seen above the Betty Sue tattoo represents the heart, and is considered a symbol associated with women to reveal romantic love. Depp must have had his own reasons for sporting this tattoo.

The “Brave Symbol” tattoo on the right arm is obviously to remember his film entitled ‘The Brave’.

“The Swallow” or “Flying Bird” has apparently been taken from the movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. Depp meaningfully redesigned the tattoo on his right forearm as he turned it around to give the impression that the bird is flying towards him and he wrote his son’s name, “Jack” underneath.

This tattoo has a particular significance. It is said that a sailor is entitled to this tattoo after voyaging 500 nautical miles. There is a belief that Swallow indicates that land s nearing and it also signals safe return.
The Three Rectangles

Swallows are traditionally known to travel long distances in the sea during migration and they would hang around boats parked at the shores. Thus, the sighting of swans presumably lent credence to the fact that land was close by.

Also see “Say Body Paint Or Body Art”

On his right biceps just below ‘Wino’ there is the prominent tattoo “Cherokee Indian Chief in full headdress”. This is to honor his Cherokee great-great-grandmother, Minnie. This tattoo also serves to testify his ancestral cultural heritage.

Those who know Depp closely would have noticed “Three Little Rectangles” on his right index finger. He lightheartedly calls these squares as a “permanent phone doodle.”

The number “3″ is found on his left hand and John says in the April 1996 issue of Young Flix Magazine that 3 is a special number for him as it is a creative number denoting Triangle, Trinity and he also meaningfully comments that two people make another person. “Three is a mystical, magical number.”

Johnny appropriately sports the tattoo bearing the name of his daughter Lily-Rose Melody near his heart.

The traditional danger signal of “Skull and Crossbones” is seen on his lower right leg with the suggestive phrase “Death Is Certain” written below the diagram.

Inexplicably there is the question mark “?” symbol on the right inside leg just above the ankle.
The most recent tattoo, by all accounts, is the “Silence Exile Cunning” on his left arm, which many saw for the first time at an MTV movie awards function. Booklovers know that this tattoo must be the result of his reading the book “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” penned by James Joyce.