The Japanese word geisha means ‘person of the arts’ and a true geisha is said to be a living work of art. To the Westerner, she is a figure of mystery and intrigue.
Her white mask-like makeup hides emotions, her traditional black wig is dressed with tinkling bells, and her small body is wrapped tightly in kimonos of breathtaking colour and exquisite design, bound in the middle with the wide sash or obi. In her thonged sandals, her white-socked feet take tiny steps.
In her hand, she holds a fan, the complex and intricate use of which speaks a language of its own. The colour red was also a trademark for the geisha, and kimonos were lined with scarlet silk.
It was believed that red symbolized fertility, and that wearing crimson underwear was essential for healthy reproductive organs. Lipstick -- always red -- was made from crimson flower petals.
then Monday i got the Black and white Dragon
(i wanted the black and white shading, but black and white dragons mean your parents are wise, so maybe they are?), Wednesday i got the bad ass motherfucker Hannya, thats actually.....
Hannya Mask Tattoo -
The hannya mask is just one example of the many different types of masks used by the traditional Japanese actors of Noh theater. Noh performances are very stylized representations of traditional and well known stories, developed in Japan during the 14th century. The masks are used to convey the identity and mood of the various characters, who number nearly eighty in the different tales. The hannya mask is specifically used to represent a vengeful and jealous woman.
Her anger and envy have so consumed her that she has turned into a demon, but with some important traces of humanity left. The pointed horns, gleaming eyes, fang-like teeth, combined with a look of pure resentment and hate are tempered by the expression of suffering around the eyes and the artfully disarrayed strands of hair, which indicate passionate emotion thrown into disorder.
The deeper and more extreme the coloring of the face, the deeper and more violent run the emotions of the character. Tattooing takes full advantage of these fanciful and engaging images, often using them in larger pieces of Japanese work or sometimes juxtaposing masks of good and evil characters. Often a Noh mask will also appear in isolation, as a work of art unto itself, not unlike the actual masks which are highly prized and very collectible
Friday i got the Cherry blossom tree with moon
Cherry Blossom Tattoo
More often than not, when cherry blossoms appear in tattoo artwork, they do not appear alone. That sometimes seems a shame, for two reasons: their appearance and their meaning. The delicate and subtle beauty of these small blossoms is easily overwhelmed by the large and ornate Japanese sleeves, backpieces, and body suits in which they typically float as backdrop elements .
Even so, the centuries old Japanese tattoo tradition from which they spring, and where they are still firmly rooted, has essentially formalized their use in that way. But while their ability to stand alone as design elements may have been circumscribed by custom, their powerful symbolism has taken on a life of its own. As Motoori Norinaga, noted Japanese scholar of the 18th century, wrote in a poem, “If I were asked to define the spirit of Japan, I would call it the blossom of the mountain cherry, scattering its scent in the morning sun.”
For the Japanese, the beautiful period of its flowering and then the all too soon fading and subsequent scattering of petals on the wind, symbolizes life itself - but not life in some abstract and distant sense.
The fragility of the cherry blossom is the fragility of human existence; its brief period of life, like our own; its implacable movement toward death, indifferent to the good things of this world, is the ideal death for a samurai warrior; and finally, its individual and perfect beauty is also ours. Poignant for some but hopeful for others, the symbolism of this staple in tattoo artwork seems almost more than a single flower could bear. However, like powerful tattoo symbols everywhere, it seems to shoulder the burden naturally
Sunday i was having a beer with a chick in another hostel, it was her birthday, i got talking to some people at the bar and then everyone wanted piercings and tattoos, i led the way to Dakar´s shop.
As soon as i saw him i said ´Hey man, you have to finish my arm off´, i didn´t have too much time, he said ´What about a Samurai´, i said no, then he said i know what you want and put together another dragon and i said lets go.
Dragon's Face Tattoo
In the west, it is a greedy, fire-breathing, cave-dwelling, and fear-inspiring creature that jealously guards its hoard of gold. In the east, however, it symbolizes something far different. In fact, Occident and Orient couldn’t be further apart than in their interpretation of one of the most powerful of all mythic creatures and tattoo designs, the dragon.
Although they do not have wings, as in the west, Oriental dragons are equally at home in the air or in the water. In fact, the Chinese imperial dragon was the emblem of the emperor himself, symbolizing his power and authority to intercede between heaven and earth. Like the dragon, the ideal emperor embodied wisdom and strength, manipulating the very forces of the universe for the benefit of the people. Often times in Oriental designs the dragon is seen wielding the pearl of wisdom, essentially the essence of the universe, in order to control the winds, rains, and even the planets.
As early as the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E. – C. E. 220) the phrase “dragon’s pearl” referred to the perfect thoughts and commands of the emperor while “dragon’s face” was used to refer to the emperor’s face. But the face of the oriental dragon is not actually the face of one creature but rather many. The eyes are those of a demon while the ears are those of a cow. Although the neck is that of a snake, the dragon wears the horns of a stag.
Finally, it has the overall head of a camel but with a sort of lump on the top, without which it could not fly. With saliva that was like perfume and a voice like the musical ringing of a copper basin, the Oriental dragon was the bearer of profound blessings. Like other Oriental tattoo designs, the choice of a dragon is sometimes an aspiration to these same qualities of great goodness, wisdom, and power.
After getting the tattoo, i went straight to the airport, to go to Rio. Very happy ending!!!!
And he put a link of me in his site
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