Excellent Chinese Dragon Tattoos

The Chinese Dragon tattoo is very potent in its appeal. When the subject of the Chinese dragon comes up, there is no argument that these creatures have a distinctly "masculine" quality. In addition, these dragons are associated with the number "9." This is because the value of "9" is the biggest possible, single digit number. The Chinese dragon adeptly symbolizes powerful and auspicious energy. In particular, they are in control of the element of water. For instance, dragons are said to manipulate rain, hurricanes, floods, and other disasters. The dragon itself is an old symbol of good luck, strength, and power. When the Chinese dragon is placed on the human body in the form of a tattoo, the meaning represents intelligence, strength, good luck, health, harmony, and good will. One of the noted qualities of Chinese dragon tattoos is the flaming pearl under the chin of the creature. Chinese dragons have snake-like bodies with scales all over them. Naturally, these dragons have supernatural power too.

There are four primary Chinese dragon tattoos in symbolic form which are widely available. The first one is the "Horned Dragon" tattoo. The person who wears this form on their body chooses to be mighty in words and deeds. Another symbol is that of the "Earth Dragon." This dragon is the ruler of the Earth. It represents a connection with the earth and land for the person who wears it. The "Yellow Dragon" is the hornless dragon which is a representation of scholarly knowledge. The person who wears this symbol wants to be associated with the power of his or her intellect. Lastly, there is "Celestial Dragon." This dragon is the Protector of the Gods. People who desire to confirm their spiritual path, or who have strong spiritual convictions, tend to prefer this symbol. The Chinese dragon tattoo is becoming more popular because many people are wearing them.

The Chinese dragon has a very authoritative appeal. According to legend, the earliest emperors of China were closely related to a dragon. At the end of his reign, the first emperor of legend, Huangdi, was thought to have been immortalized into a dragon which resembled his imperial emblem. Later he ascended into Heaven. Another legendary emperor, Yandi, was born by his mother's telepathy with the aid of a dragon. Since the Chinese consider Huangdi and Yandi to be their ancestors, they often refer to themselves as "the descendants of the dragon." These legends started to influence the usage of the dragon with the official symbol of Imperial power. In some legends an emperor might be born with a birthmark in the shape of a dragon. One legend tells the tale of a peasant born with a dragon birthmark. This peasant eventually overthrows the existing dynasty in order to establish a new one. Another legend tells of a prince who is in hiding from his enemies. He is eventually identified by his dragon birthmark.
Of course, actual belief in the dragon of folklore is quite sporadic. The worship of the Chinese dragon may be ingrained in the culture of China. However, very few people consider dragons to be real creatures. Cultural traditions like Chinese New Year celebrations often feature the dragon in a parade. For most people, dragons are just representations of qualities people aspire to have. Regardless of the legends, Chinese dragons make excellent tattoos for all these reasons. They are personal representations placed on the human body. They represent qualities like power, strength, intellectual ability, good fortune, and authority which are universal in their appeal. The Chinese Dragon is a big part of being truly "Chinese!"

Japanese Dragon Tattoo Designs and Meaning

The Japanese Dragon Tattoo is a very beautiful and colorful tattoo design and very symbolic, with its origins in myths and folklore. It is also very mystical, adding to the appeal of the Japanese dragon tattoo. Over the ages, from Egyptian times the dragon has represented good and also represented evil. However, the attraction of the Japanese dragon, apart from its stunning beauty is that it represents good luck and the source of wealth. The Japanese dragon also represents the meaning of freedom and being fearless, both very attractive qualities.
In the Greek language, dragon is sourced from draca, which means serpent.
Like the angel, the Japanese Dragon also has the meaning of guardianship, providing a protective force over those it was associated with. Other meanings associated with the Japanese dragon is strength and power. In Japanese culture the dragon is associated with supernatural powers, and amazing wisdom.
There are six forms of the Japanese Dragon. They are:
Sui-Riu is the king Dragon and is in control of the rain. Therefore in this day and age of drought he is all powerful!

Han-Riu has many stripes on his body and is up to forty feet in length. One of the biggest dragons.
Ri-Riu dragon is a rare breed that is not well understood. However, it is known that they have amazing eye sight.
Ka-Riu is a brilliant red color, and a petite dragon in comparison with the others.
Fuku-Riu is a favorite dragon of many people as it is the dragon of luck.
Hai-Riyo is known as the dragon bird, and the most advanced form of dragon. It evolved out of Chinese mythology.
The colors of the dragons have special significance, which are based on their parents. For example a dragon with a black color means their parents are very old and wise. Green dragons are smaller than average, but are representative of life and of the earth. Gold colored dragons are special because they have many special attributes such as wisdom, kindness and the ability to face challenges head on.
Yellow dragons represent the east. They are great companions when you need a hand, but can be self absorbed at times. Blue dragons are from the west. They are forgiving and compassionate, but on the negative side can be lazy and uncaring when it suits them.
Finding the right Japanese Tattoo Design for you can be quite daunting. Check out all the free sites on the net to get as many ideas as you can. Just remember that many other people have done the same thing to get ideas. For example, last month, over 41,000 people searched for dragon tattoo designs on Yahoo. Apparently, roughly 8 times that amount check out Google for the same search term. Then there is MSN and the other search engines. So a huge amount of people see the same free designs as you. If you want original Japanese Dragon tattoo designs, it is recommended that you check out books or other sources of tattoo designs that are not freely available. I have checked out three Japanese dragon tattoo galleries on the internet that have from 3,500 to 6000 different designs, so you will have no trouble finding what you want.