Munewari (Chest dividing)

One of the traditional tattooing styles. A

strip running down the center of the top
half of the body is left clear of tattoos. It
is a style developed originally to avoid
tattoos showing from the collar line
when one wears kimono.
Sumi (ink)
For tattooing, ink is made from ashes of
pine branches and roots. The ash is
mixed with „niwaka‟ to make an ink
stick. Niwaka is collagen and gelatin
extracted by boiling the skins of animals
or fish in water then cooled until it solidifies. One ink stick costs 40000 yen and the enough ink
for the day is prepared in an inkstone. The ink is of a Ph7 and is thus totally neutral.

Sacred bird: Hou-ou

A sacred bird for delivering good luck

From the ancient times, it has been loved as a bird

regarded as a good omen. Hou-ou is the most
sacred bird of all and is regarded as the king of birds
because of its high spirituality.

A Hou-ou releases a golden glow, its plumage is

decorated with five brazen colors, its neck is
elongated like a snake, its body has the dragon-like
patterns and its beak resembles that of a cock.

The spreading of its wings exhibits virtue to whoever

witnesses it. Its graceful back signifies divine beauty. Its throbbing breasts preach to all to do
the right thing. Its slim abdomen stands for humanity and justice and its commanding elegant-
looking tail arouses faith.
The first part of its name „Hou‟ indicates male and second half „Ou‟ indicates female. Both male
and female begin their lives as spiritual insects and become sacred birds after 360 days.

The witnessing of Hou-ou is an extremely good omen: it is said that it soars from the eastern
sky toward the light of the sun above enlightened country where the sovereign and its people
are truly united or as a symbol of peace returning to a country when troublsome times finally
come to an end. When Hou-ou flies, every element of nature blesses its presence; the wind
stops, dust settles, other birds and insects make no sound. The fluttering of Hou-ou‟s wings
sounds like the flute or whistle.

This sacred creature never kills. It never spoils plants without reasons, let alone eating living
insects. It only lives on paulownia trees, its natural habitat, and only eats bamboo seed.

At Mongol‟s Chenm ritual appears the Hou-ou god with bird mask and a costume decorated
with feathers and dragon patterns. The god performs the dance of the Hou-ou removing
monsters and malice, and bringing good omen.

The west edge of the Orient, in the country of Egypt, the Hou-ou is called the Phoenix and
regarded as an emblem of eternal life.

Spiritual beast: Baku

A good dream-eating beast

The two encyclopedias „Sengaikyo‟ and „Sansaiezu‟

compile collections of spiritual creatures as if it
exists in a dream world, but Baku is thought to
actually eat dream itself.

It lives in the southern valley; body as big as an ox,

long elephant-like nose, small rat-like eyes, an ox‟s
tail and a tiger‟s limbs. It is covered with short dark-
yellow fur similar to a lion‟s.
Interestingly, Baku‟s droppings are so hard they can
be used as weapons. Its urine is also deadly, easily
dissolving iron and copper much like the Alien‟s saliva. Its bones are extremely strong so that
swords are no use against them and burning them will make no difference.

Originally, Baku was believed to eat metals such as iron and copper but gradually people
started saying that it is a spiritual beast, which eats dreams.

The folklore abut Baku already existed in the Muromachi Period (1336 ? 1573: for about 240
years from when Shogun Ashikaga Takauji placed Shogunate in Muromachi, Kyoto until 15th
Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki was expelled by Shogun Oda Nobunaga), people in that time used
the pictures of Baku as evil repellent.
The Japanese have a custom of forecasting fortunes in the year ahead by the dream on the
night of new-year day. People used to put the picture of the Treasure Boat with Chinese
character for Baku by their pillows.

As for the bones and skin sold and bought as spiritual beast Baku‟s are those of tapir‟s.

Spiritual beast: Nine-tailed fox

A beast with two elements: evil and sacred

The well-matured fox after the age of 50 gains the

ability to disguise itself into a human and at the age
of 100 it prefers to transform into a voluptuous
woman or an oracle. It sometimes disguises itself as a
man to have liaisons with women.
At 1000 years old, the fox will gain the highest rank.
By then it will have nine tails, and shiny golden fur.
Its howls are similar to the cries of human babies‟.
Nine-tailed fox preys on humans.

Although it is a man-eating fox, the consuming of its

flesh prevents being put under the spells of monsters
and protect oneself against curses.
In ancient China, Nine-tailed fox was illustrated as a
voluptuous beauty who disturbs the country. With its
supernatural power, it transformed into the most
beautiful lady and deceived Chou Hsin of the Yin in
China. It persuaded the king to hold extravagant feasts, leading the downfall of the Yin
Dynasty.
Since then, the fox continuously destroyed several countries by transforming into the wife of
the Crowned Prince in India and the wife of King You of the Zhou Dynasty and finally sneaked
into a boat for Japanese envoys to the Tang Dynasty China to come to Japan.

Nine-tailed fox in Japan transformed itself into a beautiful woman called Tamanomoe and
bewildered the Emperor Toba who soon became bed-ridden. However, its disguise was
discovered because of the blue glow emitted from its body. It was defeated in the end, by a
Yin-Yang teller‟s sacred mirror.

The aforementioned tales illustrates the negative features of Nine-tailed fox, but in Japan it is
regarded as a sacred beast. It appears when the emperor‟s virtue reached his people as well as
birds and animals. The figure nine means the largest single number and the nine tails are the
symbol of future prosperity. Therefore, the Japanese, unlike people in China and India, did not
regard the fox as bad omen

Spiritual beast Ki-rin

A holy beast of prosperity

Following the dragon and Hou-ou, Ki-rin is adored

more than many other spiritual creatures.

It is the size of a deer with a horse‟s limbs and an

ox‟s tail. Ki-rin‟s head is elongated like that of a wolf
and bears one horn.
Its body is covered with scales, resembling the
dragon. Ki-rin is believed to live as long as one to two
thousand years, which is why it is cherished as the
symbol of peace and prosperity.

Ki-rin has extremely gentle nature and is a highly enlightened creature that never stramples
upon plants or insects.
However, if it needs to fight with monsters in order to protect itself, its gentle nature changes
completely, shooting great flames out of its mouth with terrible howls.
Male is called Ki and Female is called Rin. Only a male bears a horn. The male cries „Yu-Sei‟
(meaning spreading holiness) and the female cries „Ho‟ (meaning harmony). In spring the male
cries „Fu-Yo‟ (meaning helping young) and the female cries „Yo‟ (meaning nurture). Spring is the
season of love and Ki and Rin looks for partners in order to exchange love and to have
offsprings. They do not physically mate but send „ch‟i‟ to each other for fertilization.

Ki-rin only appears to countries ruled with benevolence. It is recorded that Ki-rin has been
captured several times and offered to emperors.
„Nihonshoki‟, the Chronicles of Japan, records that Ki-rin has been appreciated since the ancient
times and had already offered during the sovereignty of Emperor Tenmu (673 ? 686: the 40th
emperor).

Sacred beast Toukou

Emperor‟s guardian beast

Toukou looks like a cross between a dog and a fox and

cries like a bird. There are two horns on its back and a
long tail stretching a few meters. It glides through the
sky, shooting out flames from its shoulders.

It is a sacred beast that once went to China from Japan.

Later on it returned to Japan in order to guard Japan‟s
emperors. Toukou flies great distance in a day and
those who ride on its back are said to live for two
thousand years.

Toukou was said to have existed in Japan prior to Gods Izanagi and Izanami performed the
recreation of Japan.

When Huang Ti (Yellow Emperor) came to the throne in China, Toukou flew over the country to
protect him. it was Toukou who carried Huang Ti on its back when Huang Ti traveled countries
to show people how to ride a horse.

In China, yellow is regarded as the color of the King and that is why the yellow-furred Toukou
received particular admiration.
Later, Toukou returned to Japan and guarded the Japanese emperors. Toukou is painted above
the Imperial Throne in Shishinden (ceremonial hall).

Sacred fish Ouryu

Winged dragon
It is a dragon with flame-like wings. A dragon changes
into a Kakuryu, a horn dragon after 500 years and a
Kakuryu changes into a Ouryu after 1000 years.
Hence, winged Ouryu is defined as the highest form of a
dragon as it matures.
There is much literature in which Ouryu is described as a
sacred dragon that performs good deeds on behalf of
the emperors.

Specter Nekomata

A puzzling being, a monster, beyond human

understanding.

A cat specter dwelling in Japan. It was originally a

common cat but as it aged, it gained supernatural
power, becoming a horrendous cat monster with its
tail sprit into two. Its fur is supposed to glow when
stroked against its lie. It can also walk upon two legs.
Nekomata favors licking kerosene ofrom lamps, is able
to speak and disguise itself as a human, raping
women and bringing ill health to people. Unlike the
famous Scotish „Cait Sith‟, Nekomata likes to eat and
kill people.
 Mukade (centipede)

A centipide is considered as a specter because of its

appearance and poison. It is 20 centimeters long and has
hook-shaped teeth and poison glands in its mouth. It is a
carnivore, preying on small animals. Its violent nature
causes it to sink its teeth into anything that touches its
body.

The Mukadeshu (centipede worriors), were troops directly led by Sengoku Daimyo (warlord),
Takeda Shingen (1521 ? 1573) is famous for fighting intelligence war. The troops had small
centipede-emblazoned war flags upon their backs.

Mukade is regarded as a messenger of Bishamonten( also called Vaisravana), a war god. The
troops of Uesugi Kenshin (1530 ? 1578), Takeda‟s rival, also used centipede design upon their
flags.

Mukade is also said to possess an ability to spot gold mines. Therefore people used to carry
centipedes in bamboo tubes when they went to the mountains in search for gold

Koi (carp)

Japan‟s major pet fish.

Koi is called the king of river fish and has been long regarded as a joyful fish. Samurais in
Muromachi Period adored the bravery Kois possess.

The Huang Ho (Yellow River) flowing across the Chinese continent. In order to reach its source,
a carp must attempt an assent towards a valley of rapids called Longmen through the Jishishan
Mountain, which stands deep in the Kunlun Mountains. A legend says that if a carp successfully
swims up the Longmen Falls (Dragon‟s Gate), it can transform into a dragon. Because of the
legend, the carps became a symbol of human‟s success in life.

* Higoi (a red carp)

A tattoo of a red carp swimming in water, with bubbles coming out of its mouth.
* Magoi (a black carp)
A tattoo of a black carp jumping out of the water.

* Nishikigoi (a varicolored carp)

After the Meiji Period (1868 - ) repeated cross breeding of the Higoi created the Nishikigoi in
Japan.
Goldfish in China are bread to create strange shaped fish. In contrast, in Japan people
concentrated on retaining carp‟s streamline shape or refining it.
This illustrates the difference in Chinese and Japanese nationalities.

Longmen Falls (Dragon’s Gate)

It is a tattoo of a carp beginning a transformation to

become a dragon after it successfully climbed up the
Longmen Falls. It has started growing a horn on its
head and spikes around its face. Its fins are erect with
full of strength and its body turning gold and glowing.
 Uzushio (eddying current)

An eddying current, which typifies the rapids of Longmen

Falls.
A tattoo design with considerable difficulty.

Spiritual beast: Jinki

A turtle with ears

Jinki is a turtle with

ears. Eared turtle
is worshipped at
many shrines as
god‟s messenger
with respect to the
enshrined deity.
The turtle is
regarded as one of the four mysterious spiritual beasts together with Rin, Hou, and Ryu.
There are many aspects to supernatural powers, which spiritual turtles possess and the first one
is the ability to predict the future.
A turtle is also a symbol of preservance and Minogame, the one with green algae on its back, is
greatly treasured.

Usagi (Rabbit)

The arranging of a rabbit and a tiger not only makes a good contrasting feature but also
describes „great nature‟.
Rabbits are highly productive and unexpectedly vicious. They may be used to illustrate the lewd
nature of females.
Sakura (Cherry blossoms)

Japan‟s national flower

From the ancient times, the Japanese have found beauty in the falling petals of the cherry
blossom rather than a tree in full blossom, admiring how gallant they are towards their very
end. Japanese people admire a life that flourish and fall like cherry blossoms.
Cherry blossoms were also the emblem of the Japanese army.

In the world of tattoo, it is common to tattoo bamboo around a tiger but Horiyoshi-III tattooed
cherry blossoms (double cherry blossoms) on purpose. On the tree trunk, the outer layer is
stripped and tattooed my sons‟ names with ancient letters. I had cherry blossoms flowering and
falling all over the body.

Buddy and I are the cherry blossoms of the same tree. Even if we fall away from each other,
we meet again the next spring at the Yasukuni Shrine, the place of flowers and urbanism.

Birds of prey: Taka (Hawk)

A hawk is a large, vicious, carnivorous bird. It glides through the sky with wind beneath its
large wings. Hawks prey on small animals, birds and fish. Their claws and tips of their beaks are
hook-shaped and are very sharp.
It has long been said that „Hawks never picks on grain crops. „Hawks, even when they are
desperately hungry, never lower themselves down to the level of eating grains.‟ This is a
paradigm to suggest that a noble person will never accept money and articles without justifiable
reasons.

Uchide-no-Kozuchi (Small Magic

Hammer)

It is a small magic hammer, the swinging of which

grants its holder‟s wishes.

The „Otogizoushi‟ written in the Muromachi Period,

tells a story of a tiny hero called Issunboshi whose
height is just one sun (3.03cm). He went to defeat
„Oni‟ ogres and acquired the magic hammer there.
He used it to become a noble young man and
married a princess. Later in his life, he successfully
climbed up to become a Chunagon (current
equivalent to the vice president of a country).
Hebi (Snakes)

Generally, snakes are thought to be tenacious

creatures and hated by many people. However,
snakes are regarded as god‟s messengers,
particularly the white ones, which are adored and
treasured.
Snakes belong to reptilian and they are further
narrowed down to squamata (order) ophidian
(suborder). Their tubular bodies are thin and long.
They have no legs: they move around using their
scales on the abdomen. They have sprit tongues,
which they use to feel vibrations, smells and
temperatures of their surroundings. Their eyes are
protected with a membrane and their eyelids are
immobile. They are either oviparous or
ovoviviparous. Snakes hunt for frogs, birds and
birds‟ eggs and swallow them whole. There are
some harmless snakes such as Aodaisho(blue-green
snakes) and some harmful ones such as vipers and
habu snakes inhabiting in Japan.
Shrines in various parts of Japan worship snakes,
which have been given a god‟s statuses as a result
of people‟s awe towards snakes‟ spiritual powers.
Snakes are thought to live for a long time, ever
growing in size and gaining remarkable spiritual
powers. When they become enormous they are
called „Orochi‟ and become able to control nature.
 Tora (Tigers)

Tattoo art, it goes without saying, cannot be

redrawn or redone. Therefore, you must pay
particular attention to the designs on your back
because if you are going to have Buddhism-related
designs such as Fudoumyouou (Fire God) you must
coordinate your tattoos on other parts of the body
with the same kind in order to obtain a good
balance.

So what shall I have on my back?

After three visits to master Horiyoshi-III, I decided
to have a tiger. I was born in the year of Tiger and
tigers are my favorite animal of all. I liked strong
animals and I have always preferred tigers to lions.
Tigers fought against lions at the Roman coliseum in front of audiences of 50000. They had a
total of 21 matches and the tiger won every time. (I suppose grouping animals are not suitable
for one to one fighting.)
In Japan, dragons in the sky and tigers on land are put together to form a word „Ryu-ko‟, which
is to describe two heroes or great men of equal magnitude.

Tigers are vicious animals belonging to the cat family. A typical tiger is about 2.8 meters long.
Its body is covered with rich yellow fur with black stripes. Its meals are of deer and wild boar.
Tigers are found all over the Asia, but mainly in India, Java and Bali IslandIsland. They
habituate alone or as a couple in a jungle environment. Tigers are divided into subspecies:
Siberian tigers and Bengal tigers.

There are old sayings with respect to tigers:

“Tigers with wings” ? A person with significant strength gaining even more power.

“Stepping on a tiger‟s tail” ? Put yourself in extremely dangerous situation.

“Tigers sprint for 1000 ri and back” ? A tiger is able to run for 1000 ri (3927km) and back. The
expression is used to describe a highly spirited state of a person.

“The drawing of a tiger turns to that of a dog” ? An attempt to draw a brave tiger turns sour,
looking more like that of a dog. It means that a person without appropriate ability tries to copy
a talented person, ending up failing in the end. It also means that a far-reaching target turns
pear-shaped.

Spiritual creature: Sanbonashi-no-

kaeru (Three-legged frog)

In the ancient times, a saucepan or a bowl with

three metal legs called „Kanae‟ become a symbol
of royalty and authority ever since the royals
begun to use it for rituals and ceremonies.

The frog‟s body is short and stout without any

narrowing around its neck. Its eyes bulges
upwards and its mouth is enormous. It collects
everything its master desires by greedily
swallowing articles. Three-legged frogs are
spiritual creatures, which bring good omens and
are believed to make their masters wealthy

Kakushibori (Hidden tattoos)

The insides of upper arms are usually hidden from eyes of other people. Inner upper arms are
the place for fun tattooing or joke tattooing. In other words, people who see are limited to your
family and/or your lover. Most designs are erotica but I have heard of some people who have
tattooed Picachu or Doraemon. I have had erotica tattooed but I think they are very artistic.