Oriental tattoo designs are one of my passions and my expertise. I have been fortunate to tattoo many clients from Melbourne and throughout Australia who come to me with very unique oriental tattoo concepts in mind.
Behind every oriental tattoo design there is incredible meaning, colour and purpose. The oriental work that I have seen or had the pleasure of creating comes with a sense of rich history and culture.
Foo Dog – Shi – Chinese Lion
Chinese: 獅; pinyin: shī; literally: “lion”
The dogs /lions are a common representations of imperial China. You will find them sitting boldly and proudly in front of temples, tombs, government offices and palaces.
It is believed these creatures have powerful protective benefits.
Chinese lions are intended to reflect the emotion of the animal as opposed to the reality of the lion. The claws, teeth and eyes of the Chinese lion represent power.
You can view my gallery for examples and inspiration.
Japanese Tiger
Arguably the king of all beasts – the tiger – is always an honour to tattoo. My loyal followers will have seen my progress posts of one of my favourite pieces – a full back tiger with other oriental elements (see gallery below).
A tiger symbolises strength and supremacy. The Japanese or Asian Tiger is a common tattoo request because of the ideals the customer is hoping to impersonate through their body art.
Geisha Tattoo Designs
Geisha (芸者 ?) (/ˈɡeɪʃə/; Japanese: [ɡeːɕa]), geiko (芸子 ?), or geigi (芸妓 ?)
The Geisha is elegant and intriguing. She is a popular tattoo design choice for my female clients.
Often I find myself tattooing the Geisha among flowers such as blossom or sakura. I also tattoo Geisha alongside Gods or mystic characters that add great meaning to my client’s tattoo design inspiration.
Buddha and Buddhism Tattoo Elements
Sanskrit: बुद्ध
Many clients choose Buddha as the main component of their tattoo design. This choice is sometimes for religious reasons. I regularly incorporate elements of Buddhism in my tattoo designs such as flowers like the Lotus as well, Sanskrit writing and elements, such as fire.
Of course tattooing a full Buddha as a sleeve is rewarding. A full and half sleeve tattoo requires multiple sittings. They usually involve a significant incorporation of colour and are very detailed.The third example below is a greywash buddha which is a great choice for clients with darker skin.
