Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Chinese Dragon Tattoos

To the Chinese, the Imperial Dragon or Lung, is considered to be the primary of four benevolent spiritual animals, the other three being the phoenix, the unicorn and the tortoise. Having unrivaled wizdom and power the dragon symbolized the Emperors of China themselves, who were actually called dragons. Hsi, China's first emperor, was said to have a dragon's tail. Shen Nung, his successor was supposed to have been fathered by a dragon. The Chinese Emperor sat on a dragon throne, rode in a dragon boat and slept in a dragon bed. To distinguish the chinese imperial dragon from all other dragons, only the Imprial Dragon bore five claws.

Chinese Dragon Tattoos' Mythology

A mythological animal of Chinese origin, and a member of the NAGA (Sanskrit) family of serpentine creatures who protect Buddhism. Japan's dragon lore comes predominantly from China. Images of the reptilian dragon are found throughout Asia, and the pictorial form most widely recognized today was already prevalent in Chinese ink paintings in the Tang period (9th century AD). The mortal enemy of the dragon is the Phoenix, as well as the bird-man creature known as Karura. In contrast to Western mythology, Asian dragons are rarely depicted as malevolent. Although fearsome and powerful, dragons are equally considered just, benevolent, and the bringers of wealth and good fortune. The dragon is also considered a shape shifter who can assume human form and mate with people.

Chinese Dragons are a classic choice for a tattoo design and they are one of the more popular mythological creatures picked for inking. Oriental Dragons are depicted as powerful, wise and free. Their legend is always cloaked in power and freedom. They come from the tops of sacred Chinese mountains and the bottom of the deepest seas. Chinese dragons have been drawn in a wide variety of forms because of their popular appeal. Today's tattoo designers have taken the art of the dragon to amazing new levels. Whether you want a full color dragon tattoo or tribal dragon tattoo, you will find an incredible gallery of amazing images to choose from. Tattoo artists have paid extra attention to creating images of dragons because they look great on the skin. They can be in color, or black & white. Dragon tattoos can wrap around the body and flatter the contours of the body. Oriental Dragon tattoos can be designed as tribal, Celtic or jade designs. The dragon tattoo may appear with sea wave or clouds or fire balls. Ancient Dragon lore and illustrations have inspired many of us to select a dragon tattoo because that design represents how we feel about ourselves -- powerful, ferocious, and free... Becky McClure believes that the most important word after you make the decision to get inked is "Patience!" Pick the right tattoo design. Pick the right location on you. And pick the best artist you can find for your new body art.

The Four Types of Dragons

In China dragons are know as Lung. There are four main kinds of Lung.

In China dragons are know as Lung. There are four main kinds of Lung.
  1. The Celestial Dragon (Tien-lung)
    The Celestial Dragon protects the places of the Gods
  2. The Spiritual Dragon (Shen-Lung)
    The Spiritual Dragon controls the wind and the rain
  3. The Earth Dragon (Ti-Lung)
    The Earth Dragon controls rivers, and water on the Earth
  4. The Underworld Dragon (Fut's-Lung)
    The Underworld Dragon guards precious metals and gems.
In both Chinese and Japanese mythology, the dragon is one of four legendary creatures guarding the four cosmic directions (Red Bird - S, Dragon - E, Tortoise - N, and the Tiger - W). The four, known as the Four Celestial Emblems, appear during China's Warring States period (476 BC - 221 BC), and were frequently painted on the walls of early Chinese and Korean tombs to ward off evil spirits. The Dragon is the Guardian of the East, and is identified with the season spring, the color green/blue, the element wood (sometimes also water), the virtue propriety, the Yang male energy; supports and maintains the country (controls rain, symbol of the Emperor's power). The Guardian of the South, the Red Bird (aka Suzaku, Ho-oo, Phoenix), is the enemy of the dragon, as is the bird-man Karura. Actually, the Phoenix is the mythological enemy of all Naga, a S

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