like a business partnership than a romantic arrangement, the late 1500s saw the pleasure quarters rise in Kyoto and Osaka (and later, in Tokyo’s Yoshiwara district), creating a venue for proclamations of love and pledges of devotion. Sex wasn’t always the main object; if the clients wanted that, they could always frequent the unlicensed prostitutes for a far cheaper experience. High-class courtesans had the right to refuse johns they weren’t into, so clients would primp to look their best, buying new kimonos and carrying new swords just to impress the ladies. Once the client became a regular patron, he forfeited his right to see other courtesans. Violating this understanding could result in a beating by the brothel’s muscle.
Mottoes and Mantras
Japanese Sayings to Live By
Try to find Japanese idiomatic expressions, mottoes, or mantras that sound cool, instead of trying to shoehorn in some shoddy computer software translation of an English idiom. Japan has its own sayings, and many of them make suitable tattoos.
悪因悪果
AKUIN AKKA “Cause evil, create evil.” This essentially means “You reap what you sow.” The phrase encompasses Buddhist ideals of karma.
知者不惑刺青
CHISHAFUWAKU “A wise person doesn’t waver.” Quoted from the Analects of Confucius.
千代
CHIYO “A thousand years.” This tattoo can be seen in a mid-19th-century woodblock print by the artist Munehiro Hasegawa. The kanji can also be written as 千世. Another option is 千代に八千代に (chiyo ni yachiyo ni) or, loosely, “For eternity.”
出たとこ勝負
DETATOKO SHOUBU This means “leaving things to chance.”
一期一会
ICHIGO ICHI-E Literally “one time, one meeting,” this phrase has been translated as “once-in-a-lifetime encounter” or even “Treasure every meeting, because it won’t happen again.” Steeped in Zen Buddhist notions of transience, the centuries-old phrase even appeared in the Japanese title of Forrest Gump.
命
INOCHI “Life.” There is a historical precedent for putting a lover’s name in front of this kanji—for example, 上田 様命 (Ueda sama inochi, or “My life for Mr./Ms. Ueda.”) There are also reports of tattoos with the lover’s name in front of the phrase “My whole heart for my whole life” (一心命 or “isshin inochi”) during the Edo period.
確乎不抜
KAKKOFUBATSU Determined or steadfast. Quoted from an ancient Chinese text.
起死回生
KISHI KAISEI To come back from a hopeless situation. Be aware that this is actually the name of a move in mah-jongg as well as in Pokémon.
南無妙法蓮華経
NAMU-MYOUHOU-RENGE-KYOU “Hail Lotus Sutra,” from one of Buddhism’s most important teachings, the Lotus Sutra.
南無阿弥陀仏
NAMU-AMIDA-BUTSU “I sincerely believe in Amida Buddha.” Chanting this prayer can lead to rebirth in the Pure Land.
七転び八起き
SHICHITENHAKKI or NANAKOROBI YAOKI Literally, “Fall down seven times, stand up eight times.” In short, don’t give up. Be aware that when tattooed, the endings “bi” (び) and “ki” (き) are often omitted, leaving just these five characters: 七転八起.
七生報国
SHICHISHOU HOKOKU Loosely, “Seven lives of patriotism,” indicating an undying devotion to one’s country. The phrase continues to have strong nationalistic connotations, but originally appeared in the 14th-century Japanese text Taiheiki in reference to the Buddhist concept of being reborn several times, and is associated with reverence for the emperor. In 1970, when writer Yukio Mishima tried to stage a military coup and restore the imperial throne to power, he wore a bandana bearing this motto. Mishima was unsuccessful and committed ritual seppuku.
その日を摘め
SONO HI WO TSUME Literally, “to pick up or hold the day,” equivalent to carpe diem. The phrase いまを生きる (ima wo ikiru), also translated as “carpe diem,” is the Japanese title of the film Dead Poets Society. Unless you are a huge fan of that movie, perhaps this phrase is best avoided. Japanese people would probably be more inclined to get the original Latin text instead of its Japanese translation.
雲散霧消
UNSAN MUSHOU “Scattering clouds, disappearing mist,” or “to vanish without a trace.” Also translated, however, as “going up in smoke.”
我事において後悔せず
WAGAKOTO NI OITE KOUKAISEZU “No regrets,” or literally, “As for personal matters, have no regrets.” This was written in 1645 by swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, a week before he died, in his collection of maxims titled Dokkoudou (The Path of Self-Reliance). Other doozies in the same work include 身を浅く思い、世を深く思う (mi wo asaku omoi, yo wo fukaku omou, “Consider yourself lightly, think of the world deeply”); 善悪に他を妬む心なし (zen aku ni ta wo netamu kokoro nashi, “Don’t be jealous of others’ good or evil”); and 身を捨てても名利は捨てず (mi wo sutetemo meiri wa sutetezu, “Even if you abandon your body, do not cast aside your honor”).
The character myou (妙) has a variety of meanings and connotations, including, “unusual,” “mysterious,” or “odd,” and even “excellent,” superb,” or “skilled.”
The phrase 愛のこ くはく(ai no kokuhaku) literally means “confession of love.”
How to get a good Kanji Tattoo
Five Important Tips
Kanji calligraphy can be written in a variety of styles. This scroll was exhibited at a museum in Kagoshima, Japan.
Kanji are beautiful and can make meaningful tattoos. The key is to make sure not to end up with the equivalent of modern-day punitive ink. Here’s how to avoid that:
1. Check the Kanji
The internet is littered with characters that “look” like kanji, but are actually utter gibberish. Or, if they are kanji, they might be backwards. Or upside down. Or missing a stroke. Remember that 大 means “large” and 犬 means “dog.” That’s one dash away from disaster. Sometimes, bad kanji tattoos also split up single characters into two separate ones, rendering them utterly meaningless; or flip them, turning the characters backwards. If you are trying to get an English word into Japanese, then
