More on kanji tattoos: a cautionary tale
Comments: 11
I wrote a little something about kanji tattoos a while back (two years ago tomorrow, as it turns out) and that post still gets occasional comments (god knows why, but it’s the fourth result on Google for “kanji tattoo”).
A friend sent along a related story today hoping I’d find it amusing. It’s an Onion-like attempt at humour but it has some funny moments.
Disgruntled Asian Tattoo Artist Inks His Revenge
Sakai, an award-winning tattoo artist, was tired of seeing sacred Japanese words, symbols of his heritage, inked on random white people. So he used their blissful ignorance to make an everlasting statement. Any time a customer came to Sakai’s home studio wanting Japanese tattooed on them, he modified it into a profane word or phrase.
So, the moral of the story would seem to be: if you can’t read it, don’t get it tattooed on you.
Be sure to check out the follow-up story, Asian Tattoo Artist Inks Revenge Behind Bars.
•••
Posted to General Rants • 2004.10.22 (Fri) • 22:30
Comments
Snopes claim it’s a fake:
Posted by gleek 2004.10.23, 01:56
it’s funny that you mention this because i just came across a blog the other day called hanzi smatter. the blogger has gotten better about looking at the tattoos as both chinese and japanese because there are differences in the simplifications of the kanji and hanzi. the blog has pictures of people’s tattoos and links to the different characters in them. what i find most funny is that people write to him to ask if their tattoo means what they think it means! i can hardly believe that someone would permanently mark their skin with something they don’t even know the meaning of! crazy.
Posted by Jaia 2004.10.23, 10:30
i hate getting sharpie marks on my skin, much less doing something that 1) is even more permanent, 2) is more painful to get on and get off, and 3) takes money out of my wallet. perhaps that’s just me.
Posted by Kristen 2004.10.23, 13:59
Background on the publication, just FYI: South Oakland (rendered in the local accent as “Soufoaklin” ) is the stomping grounds of many starving uni students in Pittsburgh. Though I didn’t live there in my starving uni days, I know plenty of folks who did. The sofa logo refers to the trash-finds people keep on their front porches for parties. Seems like every share house in South Oakland has one.
Posted by Ken 2004.10.26, 16:01
If it’s a hoax, the writer has a good sense of humor - the tattoo on that woman’s back says “Yellow Cab”. I once saw a person wearing a T-shirt saying in kanji, ‘hyakushou’, which means farmer or peasant.
Posted by carrie 2005.02.08, 10:53
HA! I love it! people who think it’s ok to just appropriate other people’s cultural symbols because they can’t find anything meaningful or beautiful in their own spiritually vacuous white consumerist culture deserve to have that practice thrown back in their faces. Jokes on you Culture Vulture!
Posted by Susi 2005.03.31, 06:01
I think some of you are looking at this the wrong way… perhaps it’s appreciation, rather than appropriation, of other cultures that inspires people to get kanji tattoos. I’m white, but I’m a martial arts student, I read books written by masters, and I have a great appreciation for eastern philosophy, tradition, and culture in general. Kanji is beautiful, you have to admit. I don’t see anything wrong in expressing yourself in another language… as long as you make sure it says the correct thing first of course.
Posted by Plum 2005.05.15, 23:45
hi, i’m from Holland…and i’m surfing because a friend of me has a tattoo with something in japanese..And she thinks it means honesty, integrety en truth. Does anyone know where I can see or it right is? ( don’t mind the grammar)
Thanks..Plum
Posted by eric 2005.06.08, 17:00
hmm…id be surprised to find out that this is a hoax. i work in a tattoo shop, and recently read this story in pain magazine (its an industry magazine for tattoo shops) and would like to think they research their stories…
i also agree w/ susi…i have kanji tattoos and a traditional japanese half sleeve, and im as white as they come. i love japanese culture (and i am currently learning japanese) and see nothing wrong with it. after all its not uncommon these days to see youth in japan with traditional american tattoos…so what is the difference?
plum, just type those words into google along with the word kanji, and do a search…you should be able to find them
Posted by chris 2005.08.30, 05:50
no difference, if you want a “kanji” tattoo go ahead, I had 5 chinese words tattooed on me, well only 2 now as 3 I had cover ups, I DID research them first but 3 were done by a crackhead I now hate, the stencil went on right but he was in a hurry to get my money so he could buy coke, so he left out lines that were important for the word, my good 2 meaning “love” and “trust” are kind of ghetto style, but I knew that when I got them although i worked for someone who is an immagrant from china, and read them to me during my job interview (they are on my neck) and they indeed mean what they are supposed to. the real problem is if you try to link them together, do not do this unless you study the asian languages, I am half german so I understand this, my mothers family motto in german sounds ridiculous if you translate it word for word into english, hope this helps. just be educated before you get the tattoo.
Posted by Chris 2007.04.19, 00:21
I am looking for the Japanese symbols for “Angel of Light” can you help?
Post a comment:
Send This Story to an Enemy
• • •
