Are you looking for a tattoo that really lets you express yourself? One of the most popular types of tattoos are the ones with Japanese designs or Japanese characters. Tattooing for spiritual and decorative purposes in Japan is thought to extend back to at least around 10,000 B.C. In Japan they use the word Irezumi which refers to the insertion of ink under the skin to leave a permanent, usually decorative mark. Tattoos have had many purposes throughout Japan’s history. One of the negative ways it was used was when it was put on criminals as a punishment. However this was done during Japan’s early years. Tattoos in the modern age is mostly for decorative purposes. For many years tattooing was associated with Japan’s mafia, known as the Yakuza. Their tattoos world cover most of their body but nowadays they have chosen to get smaller, more Western style of tattoos in order to keep their associations secret.

Some of the most popular images in Japanese tattoos are the mythological beasts such as dragons, kirin and phoenixes. Other real animals include tigers and snakes. Some get tattoos in the form of different flower types like the peonies, cherry blossoms, lotuses, chrysanthemums and other plants like bamboo and maple leaves. Some people have the images of the samurai or the geisha. Others may have images of Buddhist deities. There are some tattoos that have the backgrounds of clouds and waves.

Whichever type of tattoo you decide to get there is now a site that lets you choose from many different Japanese tattoo designs, print them from their site, and take it to your favorite tattoo artist.