Koi Fish Tattoos and their Meaning

Koi fish tattoos and their meaning can better be explained as the will to struggle on and on to challenge the obstacles in the path of success. These tattoos are better suited for the pioneering individuals who stop at nothing but success. Determined to practice what they believe in, these individuals are courageous enough to brave the unknown and its perils.

Koi Fish Tattoos

When you hear a word, "car", the image formed in your mind is that of a specific object that is used for transportation, that has four wheels and so on. Why? Because you know which object is suggested by the concept of a car. But things are not as easy as that, all the time. Imagine you uttering the same word to a man from the 10th century. Try explaining it to him. The enormity of the whole concept which is abstracted in a single word, "car", will boggle his mind.

Love, hate, courage, etc., are the names of our emotions which are abstract. We cannot realize them as physical entities, so that others can see, touch and experience it. If we stop using the words that are used to represent or convey these abstract concepts (love, hate) we won't be able to talk about them. This tattoo helps a person in exhibiting his innermost feelings as clearly as you would express yourself, by uttering the words such as "Car", "House" or "Horse" to describe a tangible object.

The Japanese overcame the problem of explaining the urge of perseverance in attainment of the goal or the undying commitment to success, irrespective of the difficulties in its path, by choosing the Koi fish as a symbol to represent it. A koi fish tattoo is a mode of representing this impulse graphically, in Japanese tattoo art. The fish is famous for its swim against the current of the stream. In adverse conditions, the rest of the fish swim with the current. But not the daredevil koi fish! It swims against the current as if gaining upstream in the face of adversity, is the purpose of its life.

The koi fish don't give up even when a waterfall threatens to block its upstream journey. It swims through the obstacle by jumping across the waterfalls and rapids. For this reason, the vitality and vigor of the koi fish has been a source of inspiration for countless generations. Koi fish tattoos are used to show the strength of character and masculinity. Do you see in their inclination of taking the difficulties in their strides and of trying to achieve what is being denied to them, something similar to your own character. Well, you have found the right kind of tattoo for you.

Koi Fish Legend

Koi fish is so associated with the masculine and positive qualities in Japanese psyche that they made it into the mascot for the annual Boys' Day Festival. Japanese, even today, celebrate this day by displaying traditional colorful, streaming koi flags that are made to resemble the fish or printed on with its image for each son in the family. The number of Koi Flags decorating a house shows its strength and ability to ward off its enemies.

It is believed that the koi fish legend has its origin in one of the Chinese legend, "The dragon gate". According to the legend, a koi fish, after topping a waterfall turns into a dragon. For the Chinese a dragon signifies benevolence, good-will and intelligence. Some individuals use Chinese dragon tattoos because like koi fish, it also expresses strength.

For the Chinese, the koi fish tattoo depicts luck. The direction, in which the koi is depicted as swimming in a tattoo, can alter the koi fish tattoo meaning. The struggle and hardship to be endured are expressed by the koi swimming downwards. If the fish is tattooed as if swimming upward, its meaning can be interpreted as, everything is all right and mastered.

Luck, invisible and intangible, not unlike the international dateline which divides the yesterday and today for the man, divides the failure and success for him. Girls prefer using koi fish tattoos in combination with the lotus flower tattoos.

For many people, especially the young all over the globe, tattooing is a way of proclaiming what they think about themselves. It is also a rebellious way of making a statement about oneself. There are thousands of koi fish tattoo designs waiting for you on the Internet, if you want to go through them.