Kung Fu (and other Martial Arts) Tattoos

[Eddie]

Been wanting to get Wen Wu Xing down the back of one arm and would like another 3 characters for the other but haven't found anything yet.

Any ideas?

how about 同性戀

and if you live in San Francisco or Brazil, it would make perfect sense

[mkriii]

I'm going tonight to get a tatto. It's my own design. It's a yin/yang symbol with a broadsword and spear going through it, kind of like a skull and crossbones type. The spear has the red hair around the spear tip. Right above the yin/yang I have the words Sil Lum and then under the yin/yang I have the word Kung Fu. It looks pretty cool. It's going to be color. Later I might add some other things like a snake wrapping around the spear and braodsword or something like that. Eventually maybe adding all five animals to it somehow. Any ideas on how to add to the yin/yang and the two weapons tattoo?

[TenTigers]

I am planning on a backpiece-it will be my sun-toi. Guan Yum on top,standing on a lotus flower, the water fading down into sky with Guan Gung below riding on a steed. Haven't figured out what I want the sides to have,possibly dragons,carp,tiger,crane,phoenix,big bird,Bert&Ernie, and maybe Elvis-in his Gi.

[bodhitree]

how about 同性戀

and if you live in San Francisco or Brazil, it would make perfect sense

I've read some pretty messed up tatoos. one guy in pittsburgh has gangmen (anus) tatooed on his neck

[banditshaw]

The Elvis in his Gi is a great idea....just make sure the patches on the Gi are accurate.
I want to brand my forearms with the Dragon and Tiger when I complete my training. Anyone got the massive bronze urns laying around that I could borrow? Oh they have to have the carvings on em of course.

[TenTigers]

I have a dragon entwining an orchid on my chest-it was representative of my ex (pre-ex status) as her name in Chinese was Jade Orchid, and her Nickname among her friends in Chinatown was "Dragon Lady"(possibly not complementary!)with her name underneath. (It's fading-never,never do this) I designed this and drew it out, brought it to the tattoo artist who made a mimeograph transfer.
I was (and occaisionally still am) an illustrator, and I design alot of tats for my students. One was Guan Gung standing on a mountaintop,bracing his Guandao, with the student creed on either side. Another was Wong Fei-Hung standing in side horse, with single kiu-sao, with a huge traingle sawtooth banner behind him with the character"Hung" on itflapping in the wind. Another was the characters for scholar warrior on a plaque, with a gim behind it diagonally. And of course, various dragons and tigers.

[TenTigers]

The Elvis in his Gi is a great idea....just make sure the patches on the Gi are accurate.
I want to brand my forearms with the Dragon and Tiger when I complete my training. Anyone got the massive bronze urns laying around that I could borrow? Oh they have to have the carvings on em of course.

You can borrow my rice cooker-but it the handles say panasonic on it.

[GeneChing]

We ran an article on Martial Tattoos back in our 2000 July issue - A Tattoo Odyssey-Tai Chi Snakes, Dragons and the Tao By Frank Allen with Sally Kealy. Chinese calligraphy was becoming all the rage for tats around then. Calligraphy is still pretty popular. With that article, we asked people to 'show us your tats' and maybe we'd run them. We only got a few responses, so we never did.

Speaking of Shaolin burns, our new issue (Nov/Dec 2007) has a piece The First American Branded at Shaolin Temple by Melissa Leon-Guerrero Do. There's already some discussion on it on the Shaolin forum.

[Lucas]

Not so sure if its exactly martial related, but for me it is in a way.

I have a full sleeve from colar bone to wrist of a Non Emperial Chinese dragon, done with Japanese style art, by a Swiss man, in the US.

to me the dragon respresents so many things, first and formost to me the dragon symbolizes the unatainable, that which we strive for yet will never reach.

Wisdom, strength, power of will, a serene and likewise tempestuous nature, are a few of the mental qualities I assossiate with the dragon.

these things are in consideration regarding my whole life though, martial arts of course being a large part of my life has, i am sure, had an effect on my choosing to get this piece.

i had thought for a time of complimenting this with a snake on my left arm, a tiger cascading down my right pec, a leopard on my left pec, and a crane across my back. but im not so sure if that is somthing i will actually do, or just think about from time to time.

if you go to my i-martial, you can kind of see it. otherwise i am not taking any more pictures of it until its done.

Its a year running in the process, i just had a 2.5 hour long session done yesterday, and color starts next session.

money well spent IMO

edit: there is a giant pearl surrounded by smoke/mist that is the focus of the dragons intent, i plan on most likely putting the symbol for 'WU' in the pearl, so i guess that would be the definate martial outlet .

[hskwarrior]

its good to hear folks make good comments about their tattoo's because i was hatin everone getting "trust No Man" or worman, love and all the other touristy types of chinese tattoos.

my sifu always encouraged us to choose wisely, and make sure they have some form of meaning to them.

for me, everyone knows how proud i am to be hung sing, so i have our name, our couplets, and school logo tatted.........my dragon.....is because i know i have a dragon spirit guide............my tiger is because is feel its the best to describe my essence, and the monkey king because im born in the year of the monkey.

regardless, they all have purpose, and meaning.......

[Shaolinlueb]

Here's how his tattoo turned out...

holy **** i saw this i was like. that guys was a member of the arian brotherhood in prison.

[TenTigers]

I always wonder when I see certain tats, what the guy/girl is gonna think when they are fifty. I see people my age (50) with the Rolling Stones tongue or a pot leaf on their arm, and think,"Yeah, that looks real great." People don't realize that things they think are cool now, will be stupid to them in a few years. When I was 13,Iron Butterfly did "Innagoddadavidda" and we thought that was the heaviest thing. I recently listened to it again, and thought,'Boy, this music sux!" Good thing I didn't get a tat then.
One word-
forever.
get it?

[Mr Punch]

I always wonder when I see certain tats, what the guy/girl is gonna think when they are fifty. I see people my age (50) with the Rolling Stones tongue or a pot leaf on their arm, and think,"Yeah, that looks real great." People don't realize that things they think are cool now, will be stupid to them in a few years. When I was 13,Iron Butterfly did "Innagoddadavidda" and we thought that was the heaviest thing. I recently listened to it again, and thought,'Boy, this music sux!" Good thing I didn't get a tat then.
One word-
forever.
get it?

Ha, you're so naive! Don't you know anything?! The only thing to do is to get a tattoo that sucks from the start... blurry, indistinct, looks like a vaguely indelible marker pen... that way when you get older it won't make any difference!

That's what I did and I'm proud of it: that part of my life was kind of blurry, indistinct, so it fits perfectly!



I do actually want a full back piece of a Green Man/Ygdrassil/crucified Odin in striking, simple, ages-gracefully shades... I really want it, but there's no way I'd get it...

Why?

1) Because at least for now I live in Japan... and young punk rebel as I once was, I don't agree with rubbing my decorations in the faces of who are essentially my hosts... and
2) Because in the end, it's vanity and I don't agree with spending so much money on vanity... If I had enough money to make a good job of it, I'd prefer to give it to charity or to my wife and kid.

[Shaolin101]

my hung kuen tattoo.

my borther also has one but his animals are more agressive looking.

[Lucas]

my hung kuen tattoo.

my borther also has one but his animals are more agressive looking.

nice tat man