8 Ink Beyond Borders: Oriental Tattoo Design Guide

Some tattoos are simply beautiful, while others are stunning and meaningful at the same time. If you prefer the latter, oriental tattoos are perfect for you. They draw inspiration from traditional Asian art styles. You can find numerous motifs featured in them, such as cherry blossoms, koi fish, dragons, kitsunes, and tigers. They may also include symbols like the yin-yang or traditional Asian calligraphy text. These tattoos are ideal for anyone who wishes to pay homage to their eastern roots or is passionate about their culture. In this article, we will take you through the meanings of some popular oriental tattoos and explore some of the best ink ideas. Scroll down to choose your next tattoo!

Meanings Of Oriental Tattoos

An oriental tattoo simply refers to a tattooing style that draws inspiration from traditional East Asian culture, particularly Japanese and Chinese cultures. These tattoos may have different meanings depending on their designs. Here are some common ones and their respective meanings:

• Koi Fish: It may symbolize determination, overcoming obstacles, masculinity, and strength.
• Dragon: It may represent wisdom, power, strength, good luck, and protection.
• Cherry Blossoms: They may be a sign of beauty, vitality, and the transient nature of life.
• Phoenix: It may symbolize rebirth, renewal, new beginnings, and immortality.
• Lily: It may stand for purity, innocence, renewal, rebirth, femininity, and grace.
• Kitsune (Japanese Fox): It may symbolize cunning intelligence, good fortune, and long life.
• Tiger: It may be a symbol of courage, strength, fearlessness, and protection.
• Yin Yang: It may represent the balance and harmony between opposing forces, such as good and evil.
• Bamboo: It may symbolize resilience, strength, longevity, and adaptability.

These were just a few designs you may come across in oriental tattoos. The following section features a bunch of tattoo ideas featuring these motifs. Check them out!

8 Oriental Tattoo Ideas

Here are some stunning and meaningful oriental tattoo ideas that are sure to make heads turn wherever you go!

1. Japanese Oriental Tattoo

Here is a vibrant oriental tattoo for you! It features a koi fish tattoo design. The fish is super intricate and is swimming in the water. Japanese culture admires it for its bravery and fearlessness. This is because these fishes can swim against strong currents. This tattoo can remind you of your ability to overcome obstacles in life with perseverance and determination.

2. Oriental Lily Tattoo

If you are into floral designs, check this tattoo out! It features an oriental lily known for its large, fragrant blooms and intricate petals. The tattoo symbolizes purity, femininity, and elegance. Its placement on the thigh also provides ample space to display the beauty of the flower. You can also get this tattoo on your upper back.

3. Oriental Flower Tattoo

Delicate, ethereal, and graceful – these exact words come to our mind when we see these floral blooms inspired by Japanese tattoo designs. It features cherry blossoms, also known as sakura in Japanese. Since these flowers bloom in spring, they symbolize new beginnings. They also represent the fleeting nature of life and remind us to cherish every moment before it fades away.

4. Oriental Temple Tattoo

How about a Japanese temple tattoo? The pagoda (tiered Buddhist temple) is another element you can choose for your oriental tattoo. It symbolizes spirituality and enlightenment. The temple featured in this tattoo is surrounded by cherry blossoms and mountains in the background. Together, these elements represent a spiritual journey full of personal growth and achievements.

5. Oriental Tiger Tattoo

The tiger is also known as tora, which is short for totsugeki raigeki in Japanese. This translates to ‘lightning attack.’ The tattoo above is true to these words and represents the tiger with a roaring expression and fierce eyes. These symbolize its ferocious and fearless nature. In modern spirituality, this tattoo may also represent wisdom and personal strength.

6. Oriental Dragon Tattoo

This super detailed piece on the back features a dragon inked in Irezumi style and a black and red palette. In Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese cultures, dragons symbolize wisdom, protection, strength, and good luck. You can opt for such Asian tattoos featuring mythological creatures from Eastern cultures if any of these symbolisms resonate with you or if you wish to pay tribute to these cultures.

7. Oriental Hand Tattoo

Hand tattoos are edgy and bold, and an oni is the choice perfect for them. This mythological creature is a yokai or ogre in Japanese folklore. This oriental tattoo design above features its mask in muted black and red shades. It is surrounded by intricate designs that extend up the arm. This tattoo symbolizes protection from bad luck and omens.

8. Oriental Themed Tattoo

This tattoo is perfect for anyone looking for a feminine design for their next ink. It features a female kitsune with piercing eyes. Kitsune is a fox spirit in Japanese folklore with intelligence, wisdom, and shapeshifting abilities. The tattoo symbolizes the ability to adapt and navigate life’s challenges with the flexibility and wit of kitsune. If you like the jaw-dropping effect of Japanese back tattoos, you may also customize this design to fit your back.

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Rodrigo CascoProfessional Tattoo and Body Piercing Artist

   

Rodrigo Casco is an Argentine tattoo artist. He has 21 years of experience designing tattoos. He has done tattooing by hand as well as created his own tattoo machines. He has won multiple awards and stood first in national and international tattoo conventions, is a judge at events, and also gives many seminars.

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Gracia OdileBeauty & Lifestyle Writer

 

Gracia Odile is a teacher-turned-beauty and lifestyle writer with three years of professional experience. She has a bachelor's degree in English from St. Stephen's College, a master's in Anthropology from the University of Madras, and a degree in education from GGSIPU.

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Arshiya SyedaCo-Editor-in-Chief

Arshiya Syeda is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of StyleCraze with 8 years of experience. Prior to that, she was a content writer who combined her writing and research skills to write over 200 high-performing articles on hairstyles, hair care, and skin care.

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Pahul NanraBeauty & Lifestyle Writer

Pahul Nanra is a content writer with a penchant for all things fashion and beauty. She has two years of experience in writing across beauty and lifestyle genres. She is an English Honors graduate from Delhi University with a diploma in Fashion Designing from YMCA.

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