Unlike the Chinese, the Japanese are currently very large tattoos, but that was not always so. In fact, for a short time towards the end of World War II, receiving or giving a tattoo in Japan was actually illegal. The end of the war put an end to this crime.
The alphabetic characters that appear in many Japanese tattoos are called kanji. These characters, alone or in combination, can display a wide range of human emotions, thoughts, proverbs and poetry.
In addition to the similar handwriting Kanji characters, there are many different animals, spiritual and character symbols and images that make their way into other parts of the body of the people in the form of a Japanese tattoo.
Irezumi, one of the more traditional styles of Japanese tattoo representing dragons, koi fish and other symbols of Japanese culture and lifestyle. These types of Japanese tattoos are increasingly popular among women who have these designs sometimes intricate tattoos placed on the hips, back, ankles and arms. Even a mother dragon has occasionally been seen in nature or in a wet t-shirt contest in a bar of spring break in Florida or Mexico.
