Koi Fish Tattoo Designs

I was talking to a friend the other day about Japanese tattoos and the koi carp that they often feature.

I must say, I've never had any interest in a tattoo of a fish but they do look damn good. Though I might prefer some other type of animal, they do look good.

What is the meaning of these tattoos? Well, they are a popular fish in Japan and highly treasured. Some even sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars each! There is also some mythology around the koi - it is said to climb up waterfalls and an ancient Chinese legend talks of how if a koi climbed a particular waterfall on the Yellow River, that it would be transformed into a dragon! Therefore, it is associated with themes of courage, perseverence and strength in the face of adversity. Pretty cool for a tattoo to tell such a tale!

Clearly this tattoo suits a woman more than a man so this is not a style (in terms of location) I am going to go for. But it looks pretty damn good I gotta say.

This is also pretty cool. I've noticed that a lot of these koi tattoos are featured on the upper arm. The colours are pretty damn vibrant on this with some nice black shading too. My first impression was that it did not have the usual Japanese style that I have seen before.

That's another consideration I need to take into account. Like some people who get Maori tribal designs and stuff, is this really suitable for a westernised person to wear? Mind you, Japanese people don't get exclusively tattooed in a Japanese style. Also, wearing such a tattoo in some parts of Asia could potentially offend some people due to the war? (the Japanese literally raped and pillaged many parts of Asia. Let me add that I have nothing but respect for them).

Credits (Creative Commons license):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42445472@N07/4522825979/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aheram/2497547758/

For thousands of tattoo designs to choose from, please click here

Upper Arm Tattoos For Guys

Well I may as well start here with designs of upper arm tattoos for guys, seeing as this is the first type of tattoo that I want.

Personally, I am not into tribal tattoo designs but more interested in something biomechanical or maybe colourful. In fact, maybe I'll have one arm in colour and the other in shades of grey....that's an idea. What do you think?

Here are some designs I found on the web.

Normally, this sort of tattoo does not appeal to me. I mean, I love the female form but it can be a little cheesy. But I kinda like this tattoo because it looks like a fairly simple pencil drawing. The guy who owns this tattoo especially likes the pupil-less eyes, I can see his point.

This tattoo is much different. I have been toying with the idea of very colourful tattoos and I love the vivid reds, yellows and especially the blues in this tattoo. This one actually seems to be both a chest and an upper arm piece which is not something I had considered before. It seems like a good way to also do the chest but without the need to cover the centre.

Also, I may have tiny remnants of "man boobs" from when I lost weight. This is another reason that I like the way this tattoo works.

I like this tattoo. It's better than one that a friend of mine got. He got a green/black dragon but everyone thinks it is a seahorse! This one is much better, detailed and with just three simple colours. But I dunno...for me personally there is something missing from it that I can't put my finger on. A nice tattoo but not for me.

Credits (Creative Commons license):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joanna8555/3703580626/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeliam/2855459432/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42445472@N07/3991673671/

For thousands of tattoo designs to choose from, please click here