Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Josh Homme Tattoos

Josh Homme is an excellent American rock musician, known for being the lead singer of Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures.

Josh Homme has an array of tattoos on his body, including the nicknames of his grandparents "Cap" and "Cam" on his knuckles.

The artist has "Freitag 4.15" along with a straight razor with "Born to Win" tattooed on his right forearm, along with his nickname "Baby Duck".

Some of his other tattoos include, a five hearts design on his left forearm, plus a string of six hearts on the back portion of his right forearm.

It has also been said that Josh Homme has his daughters name "Camille" tattooed over his heart, along with other possible tattoo designs.





Brooke Hogan Tattoos

Brooke Hogan is a lovely American singer, actress and model, probably best known for being the daughter of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan.

Brooke Hogan currently has three tattoos, including the word "Redemption" with angel wings on her lower back.

Her other tattoos include, a small blue star located on her bikini line, plus a musical note behind her right ear.



Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Cherry Blossom Tattoos

For the Japanese the cherry blossom is seen to represent life itself. The flower is a thing of great beauty. It is strong in that is pushes itself and blooms in harsh conditions and climates and often comes out when the snow is first melting. Yet it is paradoxically fragile at the same time. It is fragile because it will only last a few days and then it will fall from the tree and land in the snow. The Japanese view this as a representation of life itself. Life should be lived to extreme beauty and everyday should be lived to it's fullest. Yet one must always be aware of the possibility of death and therefore with the eventuality of death live life even more fully. This is a great tattoo and a symbol that is laden with powerful reminders and a great guide to how each individual should live their life.

Samurai Tattoos



Samurai of course lived by the code of Bushido. There is not enough room here to full explain the code of Bushido but it deals with living life to the fullest, being prepared to die in service and being loyal and strong. The concepts of Bushido are pretty much at the heart of all Japanese values and morals and also what is taught to most young kids over and over again through stories. You could say the code of Bushido is the heart of the Japanese culture and beliefs. Samurai's and samurai tattoos of course are the best symbol of these beliefs.

The History of Yakuza Tattoos

Many years ago in the time of the Shogun, the Japanese Authorities would tattoo criminals to make them stand out from the rest of the population. These would take the form of black rings on the arms. As the sentence and convictions increased, so would the rings on the arms.

These tattooed men would stick together and form gangs and eventually they would be known as Yakuza. These tattoos where worn proudly as symbols of status and these Yakuza tattoos developed into magnificent, ornate tattoos that covered the whole body. These Yakuza tattoos have been known to take over two years to complete.

The Yakuza are believed to be one of the largest organized crime factions in the world and have been around longer than the mafia and their history can be traced back to the year 1612.

For the Yakuza it doesn't matter which country you come from or from which class of society you belong to, Yakuza members must be willing to die for their boss.

Today's many Yakuza gang factions are patriarchal in nature but women are integral parts of Japan's gangland society. Wives, mistresses and girlfriends of top Yakuza figures often undergo extensive tattooing. These women sometimes use tattoos to demonstrate their affiliations with the gang lifestyle. In some cases it's done to show loyalty and obedience to the Yakuza member they are involved with.

Irezumi is the art of tattooing in Japan. This word means insertion of ink. This can be referred to a tattoo artist, the person who gets the tattoo, or the tattoo itself.

The Japanese Samurai who would tattoo themselves so if they died in battle would also use tattoos and their clothes and armor looted after; there would still be a means for them to be recognized.

In modern Japan, it is now widely thought that if you have a tattoo you are in the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia. A lot of establishments, especially hot springs and bathhouses, will not let you enter their establishment if you have any form of tattoo.


Koi Fish Tattoos

Koi fish are probably the second most powerful symbol in tattoo designs in general but also fro the Japanese. Koi fish can been seen in front of almost every temple throughout Japan. The myth states that the Koi fish swim back up stream against the current to eventually read a bridge or a gate. If they can make it to the gate they are turned into dragons and magically fly away to start a new life. The symbolism behind this design is one of perseverance which is a very deep and important concept for the Japanese. In fact they have many more words to describe perseverance, effort and sticking with something in the language then we do in English.