Koi fish make for a wonderful tattoo. Their beautiful colors and the symbolism behind them make for a great choice in tattoos. In Japan koi fish can always be found in a pond at almost every temple and major shrine.

They are seen to be peaceful and very meditative as well as good luck. Yet, the symbolism does not end their. The Koi fish is believed to swim back up stream against the current and therefore is believed to be a very strong animal.

This has lead to a symbolic connection between the fish and strength. So Koi fish make a wonderful tattoo that can easily represent good luck, strength and power. They are typically depicted with water splashing behind them and twisting or jumping out of the water making for a very dynamic and beautifully color tattoo design.

Koi fish make for a wonderful tattoo. Their beautiful colors and the symbolism behind them make for a great choice in tattoos. In Japan koi fish can always be found in a pond at almost every temple and major shrine.

They are seen to be peaceful and very meditative as well as good luck. Yet, the symbolism does not end their. The Koi fish is believed to swim back up stream against the current and therefore is believed to be a very strong animal.

This has lead to a symbolic connection between the fish and strength. So Koi fish make a wonderful tattoo that can easily represent good luck, strength and power. They are typically depicted with water splashing behind them and twisting or jumping out of the water making for a very dynamic and beautifully color tattoo design.

At the beginning of the Meiji period the Japanese government, wanting to protect its image and make a good impression on the West, outlawed tattoos, and irezumi took on connotations of criminality. Nevertheless, fascinated foreigners went to Japan seeking the skills of tattoo artists, and traditional tattooing continued underground.

Tattooing was legalized by the occupation forces in 1945, but has retained its image of criminality. For many years, traditional Japanese tattoos were associated with the yakuza, Japan's notorious mafia, and many businesses in Japan (such as public baths, fitness centers and hot springs) still ban customers with tattoos.

Tattooing and other forms of body decoration and body modification, as in much of the western world, are gaining in popularity in Japan. However, Japanese young people who choose to get tattooed are most often choosing "one point" designs -- small designs that can be completed in one sitting -- usually in the American or tribal styles. More recently, however sanskrit Siddham script tattoos are becoming more and more fashionable.

Traditional irezumi is still done by specialist tattooists, but it is painful, time-consuming and expensive: a typical traditional body suit (covering the arms, back, upper legs and chest, but leaving an untattooed space down the center of the body) can take one to five years of weekly visits to complete and cost in excess of US$30,000.

Nice Tattoos have become a habit since the ancient times and has served as symbols of religious and spiritual devotion, a sign of status and rank as well as signs of outcasts, slaves and prisoners. Symbolism varies in different countries and cultures. Today, people choose to have cosmetic and tattoos for sentimental reasons, a form of self representation and identification with particular groups.

Among the different designs available, koi fish tattoos become more popular with men and women, probably because of its mystical symbolism. Koi fish is actually a type of goldfish that were bred specifically to have a wild and brilliant color scheme, with general symbolic meaning of luck. In Japanese folklore, the koi represents overcoming obstacles as told in a legend where koi swim along the Yellow river upstream will magically turn into a dragon. This is clearly an emphasis on overcoming adversity in life.