Tigers hold an important place in Chinese and Japanese culture. Tigers are one of the four celestial animals in Chinese Folklore. In Chinese mythology, there are five elemental tigers:

• The white tiger represents autumn and metal. 

• The black tiger represents winter and water.

• The red tiger represents summer and fire.

• The blue/green tiger represents spring and earth. 

• The yellow tiger being born of the sun to rule the others.

In Korea, the tiger and bear represent the creation myth of the country. It tells the story of a fight between them for the right to become human. The tiger fails, while the bear wins and becomes the first woman of Dangun, the founder of Korea.

Although not native to Japan, the Tiger is often depicted in Japanese art, which was originally popularised by travelling monks. It is commonly depicted fending off demons, or intertwined with wind, bamboo or waves.

Tigers became extremely popular in western tattooing in the late 19th/early 20th Century.
Sailors got tigers tattooed to represent dominance and power. 

On the contrary to their Chinese and Japanese counterparts, traditional tigers are usually tattooed with bold, thick lines and, if in colour, use a limited amount of the palette, restricting it to dark oranges, dark greens and reds. 

They represent strength, resilience, fearlessness and can be tattooed as a full body tiger or just a tiger head. 

Tigers have an array of meanings and are beautiful anywhere on the body, however, it is important to choose a full body tiger or a tiger head depending on where you are thinking of getting it tattooed.

In traditional tattooing, they are often tattooed with snakes, panthers or even eagles, usually in a battle Royale (a fight between a snake and eagle and sometimes a tiger or dragon as well). 

If you would like to discuss a tiger tattoo, get in touch with us now by clicking here or pressing the book now button below!