Koi tattoos are popular in both Japan and China. The colorful koi or carp have a lot of symbolic meaning in both countries. These large fish are often 
seen in ponds, interacting with the people watching them. Overall, koi are symbolic of good luck.
In Japan, koi represents the male energy. In fact, flags with koi on them are hung from houses every year to celebrate Boys’ Day. The word "koi" is Japanese for carp, and also for the kind of love you have for a lover. So the koi is also a symbol of love. Koi are very energetic fish that is strong enough to swim against the current, so Japanese koi tattoos are usually full of action and color. If the fish is depicted swimming upstream, it stands for strength in diversity and courage. Another meaning is independent. In Japan, koi tattoos are popular amongst both men and women.
In China, the koi is known as the dragon fish. There is a legend that says, "Any carp able to climb to the Dragon Gate along the Yellow River will be transformed into a dragon." Thus the koi has become symbolic of lofty aspirations and goals. The koi is said to bring you prosperity and good fortune. Due to the koi’s ability to eat a good portion of its weight every day, only wealthy people could afford to keep them.
Koi tattoos are often very large so they can have intricate shading to represent their rainbow scales. Koi are often depicted on the back or on both shoulders. They can also be put on as sleeve tattoos. The backgrounds used with koi tattoos often include splashing water, cherry blossoms and lotus flowers, maple leaves, or moons and suns. While many tattoos are of a single koi, some others may have two or more of these unusual fish in a double design that is similar to a yin/yang, or in groupings that are arranged in natural positions, almost like a picture had been taken of several in a pond.
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Tags: asian tattoos, Japanese Tattoos, koi, Koi Tattoos
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