Beautiful Japanese Tattoos

By Takamitsu Hairi

The Japanese people are known to be blessed with extraordinary skills in a variety of fields. One of the fields where their expertise and imaginativeness comes into play is the art of tattooing. The Japanese tradition of tattooing dates back to old times and there is no country on earth with the kind of tattooing history that Japan has.

Irezumi and Horimono - the numerousness of the Japanese words for tattooing itself is a marker for the pervasion of this art in that country. It is as older as Buddhism and Confucianism, which had a stimulating influence on its development. However, in addition to this influence, the relationship of tattooing with the Japanese Mafia also is responsible for giving this art an unfavourable image.

According to the history, Ainu, the ancient settlers of the land, had initiated the tradition of tattooing. Together with them, the old tribe Wa' also contributed to the history of tattooing making some full body tattoos.

It is a matter of surprise that China, while being more grown up than Japan in the field of art, found this art an unholy one. They even used tattoos to mark their guilt ones.

As the present-day people have begun to accept this custom as part of their fashion nowadays, the mark of the criminal of earlier days has developed to be the trademark of fashion. However, tattooing and its link with the criminal world have not parted ways yet in Japan.

According to the available records, history of the Japan tattoo symbols starts from nearly 500 BC. Some statues that were excavated a little while back from Japan were portrayed with tattoos. It has been confirmed that, in the old days, these tattoos carried some religious meanings also.

Tattoo symbols are made in a variety of styles. Even if Kanji is a calligraphic writing style, it is used in tattoo symbols to show beauty, love, happiness, peace, wealth and so on.

Multicoloured flowers are usual in the tattoo symbols. Some symbols portray the old Samurai soldiers and even the snakes and dragons are not disregarded in the Japanese art of tattooing.

Symbols of flowers like lotus and cherry are commonly used in creating tattoos. Japanese Koi fish also are shown in some tattoos. Tattooing the full body is one of the rarest arts in the world. Some downsides have happened, however Japanese tattooing still continues to be one of the astonishing body designs.

About the Author:

Kanji symbols look more like pieces of art than simple writing. If you are interested in zodiac symbols from Japan please click on the links.

All About Oriental New Year Fireworks

By John Chan

Find out the about the legends that surround the use of fireworks during the Chinese New Year celebrations.

The worst time to lecture about noise pollution in China would be during the Chinese New Year celebrations. This is because the blowing up of fireworks is amongst the conventional celebrations that the Chinese people take part in for the purpose of welcoming the New Year.

In fact the firecrackers are the final touch to the entire festive season. Without them the Chinese New Year would be incomplete. There is no denying the fact that the Chinese New Year holds immense traditional importance for the people of China. It is a time when friends and families get together and celebrate in various festive ways.

It is a time when old customs are brought back into light and age old traditions are revamped and reintroduced so as to keep them alive. The use of fireworks is also amongst one of the ancient traditional practices of China which hold great significance in the eyes of the locals. The history of the use of fireworks goes back to a long time ago and their use is totally embedded in the Chinese culture with regards to the arrival of the New Year.

Traditional fireworks

As usual you will come across several explanations connected to the bursting of firecrackers which are part of the legends the Chinese people believe in. One of the stories is that the crackers are burst so that the dragon which is sleeping wakes up with noise that the crackers make. This dragon is the symbol of rain which is required in summer for the growing of the crops.

Everything has a direct relation to the nation's economy. China being an agricultural country requires sufficient amount of rains. They have combined this need with a festive belief of cracker bursting to make merry during the New Year and create huge noise without the fear of noise pollution.

Evil Spirits

There are other stories regarding the noise as well. They mean to keep themselves free from the influence of evil spirits with the noise made by the firecrackers. In the beginning of the year itself they plan to free themselves from evil spirit and make the coming year lucky for them.

The Chinese New Year has a custom of parade during this time. Those who are taking part in the parade carry firecrackers with them. It is a ritual to throw the cracker at the feet of the dragon. This is done with the belief that the noise made by the cracker will keep the dragon awake.

The dragon dance is one of the major events of the New Year celebrations. It is a colorful program that attracts a lot of foreign attention. In fact it is an event that truly captures the spirit of ancient Chinese traditions. Fireworks are an integral part of the dragon dance as they go off in large quantities around the dancing dragon.

The concept of firecrackers has to do both with evil as well as good spirits. Some think that the loud noise drives the evil away whereas some feel that all that noise keeps the good spirits from coming in. But the traditional Chinese belief lies in the former concept.

About the Author:

Chinese New Years fireworks are a wonderful burst of color to be enjoyed by all. If you want more information about the Chinese new year zodiac please click on the links.