Want a tribal tattoo from Japan? Find out about the origins and meanings of the Japanese tribal tattoos that enjoy world wide popularity today.
The Japanese tattoo culture has spread across the west like wildfire in the last 20 years or so. The culture has bled into the western society by means of inspiring the youth through the television media and other means of mass communications. Amongst the wide range of Japanese tattoos that have gained world wide acclaim is the collection of Japanese tribal tattoos.
Judging by the amazing designs of the Japanese tribal tattoos that have been handed down through generations it is not surprising that they have a great appeal on tattoo enthusiasts today. In fact most of the Japanese tattoos that are popular today have some kind of a tribal lineage.
Tribal tattoos are at once recognized because of their style. Unlike the other more colorful tattoos that the Japanese are known to produce tribal tattoos are created using black ink. The natural skin color is used to create the tone. Tribal tattoos often feature extremely intricate designs and patterns and sometimes pictures as well.
Tribal Sun tattoos
Tribal suns are amongst the most popular tribal tattoos. The collection of tribal suns is perhaps the oldest dating collection of tattoo designs that the Japanese have. The ancient tribes created these designs as a means to honor their sun gods. Next in line are tribal tattoos featuring a flame which has the same roots as the tribal suns. Other commonly found tribal tattoos consist of Celtic knots, butterflies, crosses, tribal arm bands, hearts, scorpions, totems and a host of flowers.
The trend of tribal tattoos has taken a modern twist in recent times. No longer are Japanese tattoo artists and the tattoo enthusiasts sticking strictly to the primitive designs. Today you will be able to find tribal tattoo designs featuring the skull, angels, barbed wire and other fairy tattoo designs.
The aesthetic appeal of Japanese tattoo designs is not the only thing that has made them popular. Rather people are intrigued by the inner meaning and symbolism of these tattoo designs. In ancient Japanese tradition these tattoos were used as markings to identify members of a single clan or belief system. People would use these tattoos to express their religious and spiritual beliefs.
Modern tribal tattoos
The youth of today feels as though a tribal tattoo can somehow connect them with the ancient activity of people from this part of the world. Irrespective of the country of origin there is just something about tribal tattoos that gets people to fall in love with them.
The tribal tattoos differ immensely in terms of their construction from the rest of the Japanese collection. They are simplified line drawings that come into being by limiting the use of color. They come across more as logo designs and symbols rather than elaborate paintings.
Tribal tattoos continue to have the same appeal as they did during the time of their origins. The innate symbolism and the out of the box visuals cause many people to get themselves stamped for life with Japanese tribal tattoos.