Thinking about a Japanese tattoo? Want to know what the kanji symbols represent? Read on to discover the artistic value and origins of the Japanese Kanji symbols.
Japanese Kanji symbols are easily identified due to their artistic appearance. These ideographical characters are constructed out of carefully selected marks that represent a whole concept or object. It is a highly expressive script that seems to have an immense aesthetic appeal.
Over the years the kanji script has become a very popular choice for people interested in Japanese tattoo symbols. The use of the script can also be seen in a lot of other fashion items such as pendants, necklaces, earrings and bracelets. Even interior decoration elements like lamps and wall hangings feature Japanese Kanji symbols in today’s times.
You can make use of Kanji symbols in order to create and express any idea that you would like. The construction of the script is however totally different to that of English and hence one must understand how a certain word would come out in the kanji script. Many people have gotten themselves tattooed with a kanji symbol based on the way they look only to find out later that the word represented in the script has a rather embarrassing meaning. In this way people have actually been stamped with a rather embarrassing thing for life. This is something that you would want to avoid.
For people who are unfamiliar with the Japanese language it is next to impossible to decipher what a kanji symbol stands for. One can easily end up with something that turns the head of the Japanese people but for all the wrong reasons. Tattoo seekers often run into this problem when they trust a non native speaker with their kanji symbols. A tattoo with a wrong meaning then serves the purpose that it was initially intended for which was as a punishment for criminals.
Japanese Kanji History
The history surrounding kanji symbols is extremely rich and so is the symbolism that it carries. Not all Kanji experts today are tattoo artists. Rather they take to the script as a means of fine art as they play with the script in order to compose a brilliant piece of art. Popular Kanji themes indluce animals, natural elements and even Japanese zodiac symbols.
The brilliance of the Kanji symbols is in the fact that they have continued to retain their appeal throughout the ages. The introduction of Chinese characters into the Japanese language took place in the fifth century. These age old characters known as Kanji have retained their creative power up until today.
These ideographical characters truly express the beauty of life in the interesting use of strokes. Kanji symbols seem to have a very humanitarian communicative appeal to the masses through their images. The fact that the kanji symbols were themselves a product of unspoiled human imagination is what gives them the timeless appeal.
It has been observed that the roots of the kanji symbols that we see today are embedded in human experience. For example the kanji symbol for peace depicts an abstracted line drawing of a woman under a roof representing shelter. Amongst the most popular Kanji symbols is the one which reads “FUKU”. This means fortune and well being. “Gaku” is another popular symbol which means happiness.
