Japanese tattooing is a very old tradition which can date back well into 10000 BC. These tattoos were originally utilized as a form of showing one’s social status or spiritual beliefs. It was not until recent times that it became a true art form as a means of self expression.

There has been many a debate over whether the traditional tattoos were adorn by those of great wealth or those of lower status, but one thing stands true is that the Japanese tattoos have been considered throughout time as some of the most magnificent works of body art the world has seen.

Furthermore, one thing that is known is that the fire fighters of ancient Japan did use tattoos as a form of protection while in the course of their daily occupation.

In most cases though, most of the depictions of ancient Japanese tattoos are that of the great battles of old. In these depictions one would see magnificent displays of tattoos adorn by the warriors in the battles, so much so that a wooden book was made in China which led to a growth in the Japanese depictions in Chinese tattooing.

In the most common of cases, the Japanese tattoos would depict a scenery of some sort, I this scenery one would see plants, animals and the sky. The belief is that each and every one of these warriors who had full body tattoos had a story behind their tattoo. It is not uncommon to see mythological beasts depicted in Japanese tattoos which could include things like dragons and phoenixes. Furthermore, you might find a warrior with various animals like carp, birds, snakes and even tigers. You might find flowers like the cherry blossom or even a lotus flower. Many of these Japanese tattoos would depict plants and trees like the bamboo. They may have characters from folklore or even depictions of a floating world, especially in those who belonged to the samurai.

There is also the most obvious of traditional Japanese tattoos which fell within the spiritual beliefs that would include things like a Buddha or even various deities as the were believed to look like.

The traditional Japanese tattoos were nothing less than complex works of art that would be able to tell another person an entire story. Maybe some of these would tell of a great battle or even of a myth or folklore. Any way that you look at it, the traditional Japanese tattoos were and still are considered to be some of the most elaborate works of body art that can be found throughout time.

In many cases though, as anyone who has had a tattoo knows, there are certain colors that work with certain skin pigments and in the case of the traditional Japanese tattoos, all of these were done in either blue or green as these always came out the best. That is not to say that other colors would not look just as good, but if you are going for a traditional looking Japanese tattoo, then you have to go with green or blue ink colors.