Showing posts with label Dragon Tattoo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dragon Tattoo. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Japane Dragon Tattoo Full Colour
This dragon has its mouth closed, in a less aggressive stance. It also clutches in one of his claws an object that is variously shown as a ball, a pearl, or a jewel. This item is essentially the closed-lotus form seen in various Buddhist designs including temples and grave markers. It represents the spiritual essence of the universe, by which the dragon controls the winds, rains, and even the movement of the planets, and he protects it from those who might usurp those powers.
Monday, January 4, 2010
The Best Oni Dragon Tattoo
The oni, or two-horned devil, is a popular image in the Japanese tattoo artwork of today. They are probably the most common of the ghostly beings in Japanese cosmology and are typically depicted as rampaging, violent, and cruel. Almost always shown with horns, their faces can be quite varied, similar to noh masks, and are typically pink, red, or blue-grey.
In general, the oni is a fearsome supernatural creature. They have been described variously as guardians of Buddhist hell, demons who act as torturers there, pranksters, devourers of human victims, hunters of sinners, and bringers of disease and epidemics.
There is also a tradition, however, in older tales, that they can apparently be converted to Buddhism and become benevolent protectors – such as monks who become an oni after death in order to protect a temple.
The Dragon 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.
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