126 Kanji [Chinese/Japanese] Characters
Description
This article is from the Tattoo FAQ, by Stan Schwarz with numerous contributions by others.
126 Kanji [Chinese/Japanese] Characters
One word of warning about getting Japanese or Chinese characters--make
sure that the artist who does this understands the importance of the
shape and form of the letters. Unlike the roman alphabet, the essence of
the Oriental characters is in the proper execution of form. The artist
will have to know where the "brush strokes" of the calligraphy start
and end (since stroke order also counts), as well as how angular some
corners should be, etc. The worst thing would be to sport a Japanese
kanji character that looks like some zygotes. How to tell if the
characters are formed properly? It would help if you know how to read
kanji or if you have Asian friends--otherwise, go with a reputable
artist who is known for it. Beware: I read Japanese, and most of the
kanji flash I've seen in shops are embarrassing to look at.
Brendan Mahoney <phxbrendan@aol.com> adds:
Even were I to consider getting a kanji tattoo, mere copying just
doesn't cut it (no pun intended). Chinese, like Japanese, has printing
(e.g in books), hand printing (which can be very artisitic) and various
forms of cursive (extremely artistic), not to mention styles--something
like fonts--within each of the forms or writing. The most important
aspect of fine cursive (aside from form and proportion) is what the
Chinese call "flying white," that is, the white streaks created from
moving the brush so rapidly. Creating a tattoo like that would require
considerable shading skill in addition to appreciation for the flying
white itself.
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