Design Full

Bird tattoo designs have taken precedence over all other forms and types of tattoo designs universally. Across time, space and cultures, the bird has stood as a symbol of freedom, of spirit, of soul, of beauty. Flying high in the blue skies, birds are said to be closer to the gods and the heavens, and in many cultures, are viewed as creatures that carry the spirits of the departed to the heavens above.

In the days of old, heroes were always accompanied by birds as they went in pursuit of fiends, ogres, dragons and monsters. In most tales of yore, the birds would fly ahead to spy and return to inform the hero of looming obstacles, thus bringing about the famous phrase, 'a little bird told me'!

Bird tattoos are also very popular due to their connection with religion as well as the mystical. Birds can be found in every era of history; stick figurines of birds have been discovered in the ancient Egyptian tombs in the pyramids, bedecking Arapaho Ghost Dance costumes, at African traditional rituals and weddings across all religions. Christian portrayals of cherubs and angels show them having wings, which are synonymous with birds. In almost all instances, birds are symbols of all the positive things in life, which is why many people tend to go for bird tattoo designs, especially for their first tattoos.

Generally, a bird tattoo design will consist of a pair of birds, depicted together. They tend to be opposites in characteristics; fair to dark, black to white, big to small. This merely shows the dual nature of the universe; where sadness exists, so does happiness. Where night exists, so does day. In other cases, good and evil are also portrayed by birds, for example, when we have a bird tattoo design of a bird fighting a serpent.

Decidedly, there are some implications to birds that are not completely normal. In China, the bird is called the niao, which also means penis, thereby bringing in sexual overtones into bird tattoos. Also, the double meaning of a cock as either a rooster or a penis dates back to eras past in the Rome of old. Some portrayals of birds are quite negative in impact. In Germany, to be insane can be put politely as to 'have a bird'! 'Bird-brain' is also one of the most famous insults in the Western World, although most people do not associate these negative impressions with bird tattoo designs

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.