It is a good idea to keep in mind before you decide upon a tattoo that kanji as an art is based on a different form of language unlike english in its construction. Be should be sure to spend time researching the authenticity of each symbols' meaning. It could be rather embarrassing to learn later on after you have been tattooed that the Kanji tattoo you thought meant one thing turned out to be something completely different.
It has to be said that Japanese kanji tattoos seem to be much more popular in the West than they are outside of Japan. I would be like an American going into a tattoo studio and asking to have "Wealth" or "Power" tattooed onto their chect or arm!
If you don't speak Japanese it is very hard to find characters that say what you want and are not something that will turn heads with native japanese speakers for all the wrong reasons. Trusting a non native speaking tattoo artist is recommended either as the tattoo artist may be as much in the dark as you are. It is highly recommended that you do your reasearch before rushing off to get a kanji tattoo character done.
Famous tattoo artist Lyle Tuttle speaking about traditional Japanese kanji tattoos, which he says are elaborate, multi-coloured pictures that tell a story and can cover a person's body turns away requests to write specific things in kanji. Tuttle instead suggests customers talk to native speakers before getting a kanji done.
The popularity of kanjis in the West hasn't impressed many of those who speak or read Japanese or Chinese fluently. Kanjis may look cool to non Japanese or Chinese speakers but don't always make sense to native speakers. A true Japanese tattoo has meaning.
Kanjis are NOT really a traditional Japanese tattoo BUT more a style of tattoo. If you are getting a kanji be sure that what you are getting done is something that means a lot to you and is translated correctly.
Don't make the same mistake thousands of others have!!
Before you get a kanji tattoo you might want to see THIS!
