Tattoos and Aikido

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[zachbiesanz]

Anyone out there go so far as to get aikido-themed tattoos?

I'm in the middle of this one:

[DGLinden]

This is not really an aikido tattoo. I know some folks who have done 'aikido' in kanji really large - funny though, they all quit practicing after a few months. Well, most. I have a copy of the kanji 'ki' done by O"Sensei on my arm and my wife is still p---ed off. Who knows why we do these things?

[zachbiesanz]

no, not aikido per se, but definitely samurai culture...

[taras]

My mate has "Zanchin Do" tattooed near his heart.

I am not 100% sure but I heard that having a tattoo means something in Japan, something like you belong to a gang or some group or something.

[Bronson]

funny though, they all quit practicing after a few months. Well, most.

That's a running joke in our dojo: If you want to get somebody to quit, have them get an "aikido" tattoo. We've had three people get tattoos, within a few months they all stopped practicing (one comes back on a sporadic basis, but nothing regular). It's made me afraid to get one ;)
I am not 100% sure but I heard that having a tattoo means something in Japan, something like you belong to a gang or some group or something.

I believe in Moving Toward Stillness Dave Lowry talks about a high ranking sensei in Japan who said he wouldn't accept students with tattoos. I don't have the book here so I can't look it up.

Bronson

[Charlie Huff]

I believe in Moving Toward Stillness Dave Lowry talks about a high ranking sensei in Japan who said he wouldn't accept students with tattoos. I don't have the book here so I can't look it up.

Bronson
It's my understanding that wearing prominent tattoos used to be associated with the yakuza (Japanese gangsters). "Respectable" people didn't wear them.

[Keith R Lee]

I've met a few diffenrent Yoshinkan people with the Yoshinkan crest tattooed(sp?) somehere on their body. Heck, there's a nidan here at the Chudokan with the Yoshinkan crest on his shoulder.

[Don_Modesto]

Anyone out there go so far as to get aikido-themed tattoos? (1)

I'm in the middle of this one: (2)
1) I saw too much doggerel English in Jp to want to see Americans reciprocating with kanji. Even if the tattoo artist gets it right, which he probably won't, it may still come off as very strange. A woman down the hall from my office had one on her ankle. I recognized it, pointed and said, "Woman." She was delighted that someone recognized it. She might not have been so delighted had she known that I learned it through the rote practice of seeing it on every other public restroom in the country.

2) Handsome. What's going to become of those subtle gradations in 10 years?

[taras]

how about body painting? An artist could do very fine lines, just like on the photo; but the picture will only stay on your skin for a few weeks. Then you could have something else.

[Tim Griffiths]

Or the temp tattoos you can get from Jun's aikistore. They last about a week, or about half an hour of practice :) I got some to see if I would like the real thing - haven't found anywhere I'd like it that wouldn't look bad in twenty years...

There's also henna tats, they last about a month.

Tim

[Dennis Hooker]

At the risk of pissing folks off here I go again!

Well, I am an old man and even my friends say I'm to damn conservative in my attitudes (leave out politics please). My son has a couple of tattoos and I love him. But where and when I was brought up observation told me and a hard ass DI taught me (when I wanted to join some guys and get a tattoo that said " Death Before Dishonor") that when a person did not hold a cretin quality they desired on the inside they had printed on the outside.

I know attitudes toward body art must have changes since my early formidable years. However old beliefs die hard if ever.

[DGLinden]

Actually, I failed to mention the dragon on my other arm. This is the arm I could not show in public for almost twenty-five years. Yes, I agree with Mr. Hooker, but at the time I also believed in rum - the U.S. Navy way.

Thankfully, my wife married me despite the tattoo. But she made me promise to get rid of it. The surgury was waaaaay too expensive so she paid to have another artist cover the first one. Now its a dragon. A nice, young, perky, not what it once was, dragon. Good luck, Son.

[Dennis Hooker]

I think that first tattoo on Mr. Linden was not a statement of what the lacked inside but what he longed to be inside of. Young drunken sailors ar war do strange things!!! Thank good I was Army.

We both had an Aikido instructor that was also an old Navy man. He had a tattoo of a roster hanging by a rope on his calf just below the knee. He would go in to a bar and make an outrageous clam regarding his physical attributes and when others would scoff and lay their money down he would life his pant leg show them the tattoo take the money and hope the fight was not going to be to long. I sure miss him.

[ian]

I've often thought of getting a tatoo. I believe they are efforts to express oneself (a type of self-image projection). However it is unfortunate if, as always happens, that self-image changes. I'm wondering if, when I get older, I'll have no signs of my miss-spent youth to impress the grandchildren with.

I would be interested in seeing the Yoshinkan crest Keith - any photos (tatoo of not)? I didn't even know they had a crest (and isn't a crest a European medieval thing?)

[KaitlinCostello]

Try henna designs. Henna only stains the skin for 3-6 months and is relitively allergy free. Up until about three weeks ago I had "spirit" in Kanji on the back of my neck (about 1/4 -1/2 in. in size. Gradually faded, but can be touched up at any time.

[Ron Tisdale]

Hooker Sensei,

That was a keeper! I can see why you'd miss someone with that sense of humor...

As to tats, well...whatever floats your boat. Just try real hard not to get something silly.

Ron

[Jim Sorrentino]

Greetings All,

I started getting tattooed in 1989 or so, 5 years after I started aikido training at Saotome-sensei's dojo in DC. Between '89 and '92, I acquired 10 tattoos, all in black, all by the same artist, Tom Beasley of Dragon Moon Tattoo (http://www.dragon-moon.com/). They are, in order of acquisition:

1) Biohazard symbol, upper left bicep

2) 5 kanji which translate as "The swiftly flowing stream can not wash away the moon." The kanji were an inscription on a book I received while practicing Uechi-ryu karate-do in Okinawa in 1981.

3) Crane tsuba, below left pectoral

4) and 5) Spiderwebs in a Japanese style on each elbow. The webs were done on the same day, and are based on inside cover illustrations from "Yoshitoshi's Thirty-Six Ghosts", by John Stevenson and Donald Richie.

6) Plum branch with blossoms, outside edge of right shin

7) Leafy bamboo, outside edge left shin. Both 6) and 7) were done on the same day, and were based on photographs of carvings on Japanese sword blades.

8) The Knight and Death Begin Their Chess Game on the Beach, upper back, from a production still from Ingmar Bergman's film, "The Seventh Seal".

9) Flames in a Japanese style, done as a sleeve on the left forearm.

10) Waves in a Japanese style, done as a sleeve on the right forearm. Both 9) and 10) were done on the same day, and were based on different Japanese woodblock prints. I've attached a jpg of these.

Initially, Saotome-sensei was quite unhappy with my tattoos, and used to insist that I keep them covered both on the mat and off the mat (in the dojo). As someone pointed out, tattoos in Japanese society often signify membership in a yakuza gang (Japanese organized crime), or the desire to join the yakuza. At the very least, a tattoo marks its bearer as "a nail that sticks up".

As time passed, Sensei gradually relaxed about this. It may have helped when his wife Patty got the Saotome family crest tattooed on her upper right arm, with Saotome-sensei's kanji, "Ichi Go, Ichi Ei" beneath it (Tom did this work as well).

In March and April 1993, I visited mainland Japan for several weeks, training at Aikikai Hombu and also several dojo in the Nara area. The tattoos drew a lot of stares, but most people did not hesitate to practice with me. I was refused service at a restaurant in Nara, however, and whenever I wanted more room on the subway, all I had to do was role up my sleeves.

If you are thinking of getting a tattoo, bear the following in mind:

1) The tattooed area will need one to two weeks of really gentle treatment in order to heal properly and avoid infection. That means no grabs, strikes or falls on the tattooed area.

2) To maintain the tattoo, you must moisturize the skin every day. Use an odorless, non-staining moisturizer.

3) Don't get a cheap tattoo! The good artists are worth it. My tattoos have aged well, in part because of the skill of the artist. The better artists will have a waiting list.

4) Get a design that you really love. Over ten years later, I still like all my tattoos.

Good luck.

Jim Sorrentino

[zachbiesanz]

1) I saw too much doggerel English in Jp to want to see Americans reciprocating with kanji. Even if the tattoo artist gets it right, which he probably won't, it may still come off as very strange. A woman down the hall from my office had one on her ankle. I recognized it, pointed and said, "Woman." She was delighted that someone recognized it. She might not have been so delighted had she known that I learned it through the rote practice of seeing it on every other public restroom in the country.

2) Handsome. What's going to become of those subtle gradations in 10 years?
A couple quick points on kanji:

-Yes, it's a little silly to get something in another language, and will be especially perceived so by someone who speaks/reads that language. However, there are two redeeming aspects. One is that kanji is beautiful. I mean, really, in our culture of rigid 90-degree angles, brushstrokes look refreshingly nice. It just looks good. The other bonus is that most people who get kanji tattoos won't run into too many people who will be able to read them, so if they decide they chose a stupid word to tattoo on themselves, they can lie.

-Tattoo artists have a fairly severe motivation to get kanji tattoos right. There's already a legal precedent where someone sued their tattoo artist over a design that didn't mean what the tattooee wanted. The most amazing part is that the design was presented by the tattooee. For thise reason, many tattoo artists will only use kanji they have on hand (flash art) or something out of a book with a translation. I learned this when I observed that many people getting kanji these days are dumb white college kids with no japanese friends, and asked my artist whether he's ever considered giving someone kanji for "gaijin" instead of what they asked for...

As far as Oni-Kage goes, I'm not worried about the detail fading, because it's enormous. It takes up most of my back. :cool:

And now to call Karl and see if he has an opening for today... youch.

[DCP]

I had thought of getting kanji tatooed on me. Then I thought: what happens when age and gravity work against me? Would a beautiful expression in my youth go limp and turn into "I'm dog vomit" as I age? :freaky:

[joseph totty]

I have a couple of tattos(one full and one half sleeve) as do several other people that belong to the same dojo. After I started training our sensei told us that the tattoos made our pressure points much more vunerable, I was just curious if anyone has had any problems regarding this. thank you

[tlurie]

Jim -

I read you post with interest (I have two tats, thinking I just might have room for one more) and was thinking how lucky you were to have an artist you trust close by (mine were both done by an artist named Doc at Physcial Graffiti in Rochester, NY), and then I checked out your artist's website... I live in Laurel!!

Uh oh.

;)

Train hard,

Thad

[DGLinden]

Dennis, remember our old friend also had port and starboard running lights on his legs as well? He used to say it refered to him knowing if he was coming or going...

Amazing that this thread has brought out so many of the truly decorated...

[aikicougar]

My mate has "Zanchin Do" tattooed near his heart.

I am not 100% sure but I heard that having a tattoo means something in Japan, something like you belong to a gang or some group or something.
Actually yes and no. I Japan tattoo artistry was an art form. It was passed on from generation to generation. Then for some reason, not sure why, it was outlawed in japan. That's when the yakuza began getting them as a sign of rebellion and because it was illegal. Hence tougher.:D

[Jesse Lee]

There is only one difference b/w people with and without tattoos -- only non-tattooed people care if you have one.

[Daniel Blanco]

TO ALL CONCERNED REGARDING THE TATTOO:

TO TATTOO IS THE FORM OF ONES EXPRESSIONS AND DEDICATIONS IN THEIR LIFE. IF YOU DIG DEEP ENOUGH YOU WILL FIND FAULT IN EVERYTHING. GETTING A TATTOO HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TRAINING. I HAVE AIKIDO IN JAPANESE ON MY RIGHT ARM AND IT HAS NOT EFFECTED MY TRAINING IN A NEGATIVE WAY, BUT BECAUSE OF MY SELF CONFIDENCE IT MAY HAVE MADE ME MORE FOCUSED AND DEDICATED TO THE ART. I CONTINUE TRAINING REGULARLY COMING UP ON MY TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY. GETTING A TATOO IS NOT RIGHT FOR THE PERSON THAT WORRIES ABOUT WHAT EVERYONE THINKS. I RESPECT THE TATTOO ARTIST AS IT IN ITSELF IS AN ART AS I WOULD LIKE TO BE RESPECTED FOR THE ART OF AIKIDO.

[Lan Powers]

All caps are VERY annoying.

Lan

[PeterR]

Actually yes and no. I Japan tattoo artistry was an art form. It was passed on from generation to generation. Then for some reason, not sure why, it was outlawed in japan. That's when the yakuza began getting them as a sign of rebellion and because it was illegal. Hence tougher.:D
Hey Chis - tattoos have a long tradition across several social classes. Samurai had them, yaks and laborers. When was it outlawed in Japan - if it was done in Tokugawa times I'ld love to know why. They passed some strange laws for (when they gave reasons) some equally strange reasons.

yeah and Daniell - PLEASE DON'T USE ALL CAPS. It feels like you are shouting.

Cheers

Peter R.

Don't have a tattoo but have seen a few he would't mind having.

[akiy]

Hi Daniel,

Can you please stop posting in all capitalized letters? Thank you.

-- Jun

[Jesse Lee]

I have some tats, including "ai ki" on my left triceps and "bu do" on my right triceps. Got them a year ago and have been training in aikido for almost five years now. I totally love them; it is an expression, not of any accomplishment on my part, but of my personal dedication and my path. :cool:

Also agree with Daniel, in that anyone enslaved by other people's prejudices can expect to feel bad about the decision from time to time. Since I did not get them to please anyone or to acquire validation from anyone, all of the poo-poo-ing I might encounter is just water off a duck's back, to me.

Dennis said:We both had an Aikido instructor that was also an old Navy man. He had a tattoo of a roster hanging by a rope on his calf just below the knee. He would go in to a bar and make an outrageous clam regarding his physical attributes and when others would scoff and lay their money down he would life his pant leg show them the tattoo take the money and hope the fight was not going to be to long. I sure miss him.
Now that is hilarious! Clearly a visionary application of the tattoo artform! :D

[Daniel Blanco]

Jessie, thanks for your response to the question at hand and not the caps that it was written in. I was trying to send a message across. It is good that we are reading the same book and on the same chapter so to speak/aiki mind set. Thanks again.

[Jesse Lee]

Yeah well we need to stick together, we heathen, pagan, noncommittal, fly-by-night gang-banging weak and unworthy defilers of all that is moral and holy.

[E.J. Nella]

My tattoos signify notable events in my life. The fact that these events happened will never change. So they will never "go out of style" for me. The fact that others may not know why I have them, or what they signify means absolutely nothing to me. I am not saying that I don't have any ego and am not proud of them. Good, bad or indifferent, I am. To me they are beautiful, and I look forward to getting more when it is appropriate. I just hope it is not for a similar reason why I got my last one. It is a design of an hour-glass with wings and a sickle in memory of my parents passing recently.

As far as Aikido related tats; I have the Hokusai wave on my right arm, and the circle, triangle, square symbol that is associated with Aikido incorporated into an American Native design arm band on my other arm.

Got ink?

[Jesse Lee]

Love it!

[Col.Clink]

There is only one difference b/w people with and without tattoos -- only non-tattooed people care if you have one.
Hi Jesse,

Perhaps it is my interpretation, but the saying goes....."There is only one difference betwen tattooed people and non-tattooed people...... tattooed people don't care if your not tattooed".

Cheers

Rob

:ai: :ki:

[Jesse Lee]

LOL, your interpretation in certainly correct. But I wrote it the way it's written on the wall at Slave to the Needle, Seattle's premier tattoo parlor. :)

My version is correct too, as we can see from some posts earlier in this thread.

If you want to get technical, then only SOME non-tattooed people care....

[Robert Vaughn]

Hi all

Well to answer your question Zach I have the

Kanji for Ki on my left leg . It prety much takes up the whole space between my ankle and

knee.

I found it in Saotome Sensei's book Aikido and the Harmony of nature . I plan on getting another one I'm just in the process of figuring out which one I want .

like my Brother say's ( can't get just one !)

~ Rob

[Col.Clink]

LOL, your interpretation in certainly correct. But I wrote it the way it's written on the wall at Slave to the Needle, Seattle's premier tattoo parlor. :)

My version is correct too, as we can see from some posts earlier in this thread.

If you want to get technical, then only SOME non-tattooed people care....
I didn't mean to get all techy, but since you mentioned it....yeah..SOME! :disgust:

Cheers

Rob

[jducusin]

One guy I train with has the kanji for "Masa Katsu Agatsu/True Victory is Self-Victory" in blue down the side of one arm.

[Kelly Allen]

One guy I train with has the kanji for "Masa Katsu Agatsu/True Victory is Self-Victory" in blue down the side of one arm.
I figured you were sneaking an occasional peak at the guys when they were changing into their gi's.:eek: The holding the hand to the eyes was just a ruse.;)

Kelly

[jducusin]

I figured you were sneaking an occasional peak at the guys when they were changing into their gi's.:eek: The holding the hand to the eyes was just a ruse.;)

Kelly
Oh, I've seen worse --- you should see where our Sensei has HIS tattoo! Just kidding! :D

[Peter Klein]

my sensei said that kanji was the brutal aikido way. and very unripe.

[Jucas]

Well... talk about all of these cool tatoo's is just dandy, anyone care to post them?

I am thinking about getting a tatoo eventually, aiki related. I'd really like to see what you guys have come up with.

PICTURES! :D

-J

[Adrian Smith]

I am not 100% sure but I heard that having a tattoo means something in Japan, something like you belong to a gang or some group or something.
It still does. I have a completely meaningless tattoo (a Maori-looking anklet around my left ankle). Going to any onsen (hot spring) in Hakone or anywhere else in Japan is likely to cause raised eyebrows and glances in my direction. I've only been asked directly once if I have Yakuza affiliation, and that was in the street in Yokosuka where I live.

-Adrian

[David Edwards]

Have "Masakatsu Agatsu" in kanji down the outside of my right thigh. Planned it for aaaaages, just got it today. I have a big muscular lower body which kinda helps it to look good I think... don't think it'd have gone so well elsewhere on my body where I'm of pretty average build, though. But as it is, where it is... I like it :)

[senseimike]

I have 10 tats but only 2 are actually aikido related. I have the kanji for aikido, as written by O Sensei on my chest and last week went to get a piece on my arm that covers my entire shoulder cap of my dojo logo. I felt that after I've been involved in the art for 15 years I could stand to have a little aiki-ink. My other tats are special to me in their own way, and I don't regret getting any of them. I keep them where I can hide them if I choose to with a t-shirt and jeans because I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up...... whenever that may be.

[Michael Hackett]

I have a dragon on my right calf, done while sober and on R&R in Okinawa in 1965. The dragon to some extent signifies good fortune and that has been my experience. I had the poor creature redone in 1996 as he was becoming as worn as I was. He has earned his keep over the years as I have the same number of holes in my body as I was born with.

The same night my buddy had a spider covered over with a rose and banner with his initials. The rose was just at the height of his boot top on the inside of his ankle. As we came out of the shop, a carload of knuckleheads drove by and threw fireworks at us (New Year's Eve activities) and we hit the deck. Dave landed in a benjo (sewer ditch). When we got back to Chu Lai, Dave's tattoo was infected and he ended up with a crippled looking spider crawling out of a wilted rose. I told him that a dragon would bring him good luck.............but he just HAD to have a rose.

[Thomas Ambrose]

I have often thought about getting a tattoo of the Lithuanian crest, which is a knight on a horse (not aikido related), on my left bicep but I decided that I would just think about it for a few years, and if I still liked it later, then maybe :) My jury is still out on that and as yet, I am still un-inked. Back when I was in High School, I thought it would be goofy and cool to get a ring of whales around my arm, I am glad that I didn't have the guts to do that! For future tattoo ideas, I think I will keep a one or two year waiting period, just to be "sure" :D.

As for Kanji or other foreign languages, a friend of a friend (yes, I know, far removed) supposedly got a tattoo in either Kanji or Chinese. She had intended to get the symbol for the word "Whole" or "Entire." She apparently did bad research and ended up with one that said "Hole." So if I ever do get anything, I plan to be REALLY careful!

[Jeanne Shepard]

I' m planning to get a flamingo on my ankle when I graduate next spring!

Jeanne :p

[MaryKaye]

A student I hadn't met before went at me open-handed, revealing beautiful henna eye patterns on the palms of both hands. I must say, it was a martial success--she was able to do fine things with my startle reaction.

I'm very hairy, which has always discouraged me from getting a tattoo. Also never yet found the design that cries out "this is it." I like them on other people, though.

Mary Kaye

[davidraybell]

At the risk of pissing folks off here I go again!

....where and when I was brought up observation told me and a hard ass DI taught me (when I wanted to join some guys and get a tattoo that said " Death Before Dishonor") that when a person did not hold a cretin quality they desired on the inside they had printed on the outside....



Oddly enough, all four of my DI's had tats. Most were USMC related, as are my two, but no one has ever told me that I lack the qualities of a Marine because I display those qualities with pride.

I don't know about the past, but I was taught "Once a Marine, Always a Marine" and once you cross the Parade Deck on graduation day, nothing you nor anyone else can do will make you cease to be so. :grr: Least of all get a tattoo.

Please forgive me if I have taken this the wrong way. I am very proud of my accomplishments in the Corps and while I display my tattoos with pride, both are on my upper arm/shoulder area, carefully positioned to be covered with a short sleeve t-shirt, tats are not always appropriate for certain positions. My two cents.
Dave

[Michael Hackett]

Saw an interesting tattoo at the Nevada Police Olympics in 2003. One competitor from LVMPD SWAT was a submission grappler and had a number of tattoos, but the most interesting was the word "Suffer" in Old English print in an arc across his belly. Based on his performance, he seemed to mean it too. Talk about atemi! Some of his opponents were at a disadvantage before the match started. One of the most pleasant people at the tournament too.

[Joe Bowen]

Well, whether your for tattoos are against them, just be careful what you ask for. I know a young Australian Aikido student who asked for a particular Kanji that he had xeroxed out of a dictionary. What he didn't count on was the semicolon which separated the different Kanji representing the same meaning. So his kanji when I looked at it didn't look right as it had two extra strokes added when the artist doing the tattoo mistook the semicolon as part of the kanji. Talk about mistakes....
I myself got a tattoo with a bunch of friends when we were all in college. That very evening over dinner, heard my father say that people who get tattoos were stupid, and not far-sighted. He didn't know at the time that I had had the tattoo... :rolleyes:

[disabledaccount]

I've got a brief stanza from the Shobugenzo tattooed on my right forearm which Maezumi Roshi inked for me shortly before his death. He presented it to me on the day I took my buddhist precepts. It reads "Cultivate the bodhi mind", and is very special to me. It's a great ice breaker, and I like to imagine that it plants a little Dharma seed whenever the inevitable philosophy/theology discussion ensues. I've got several more tattoos, but that one's the most meaningful.

[JAHsattva]

heres a link up to my tattoos

click here (http://www.rockthoselocks.com/Gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=10186&pos=1)

um.. before getting tattoo'd study everything imaginable.

i got Osensei's kanji of aikido.

aikido training is a life long task.

if it gets ugly later in life ,so be it.

part of my reasoning behind tattoos is that
they remind us of how impermanent our bodies really are.

enjoy!

[garry cantrell]

i'd get one if i could think of something that i like well enouhg to make a permanent feature of my body - but geez, i can't decide on a necktie that i like for more than a week or so, much less a tattoo. lol.

[ryujin]

I thought about getting a tattoo once, but since I lived near an airport at the time, I thought I'd get annoyed with him running outside and pointing at the sky yelling "Boss! Da plane, da plane!"

:D

Actually, I have been contemplating getting the Celtic Tree of Life tattooed on my back. I found a highly recommended artist here in AZ, I just need to find the time and spare cash. Don't know If I can afford to be out of practice for two weeks while it heals properly.


:circle:

[JAHsattva]

ryujin,

check the link again on my previous post.

there's a celtic tree of life on my back.

it did hurt. :D

[ryujin]

Yeah, I saw that. I like how you framed it with the tiger and the the dragon. Nice work.

I was going to go for the more traditional style and have the circle of vines around it. I was also considering having the leaves in the vines colored in a clockwise direction to represent the changes of season.

[hapkidoike]

I have searched the forums and have not found an answer to this; Will it hinder my ability to go train in Japan If I have a tattoo (even though it is quite unnoticeable and not visible when wearing a short sleeved t-shirt)? The ink in question is quite boring, (a quarter inch solid black line around my arm above the bicep) and doesn't mean anything to anybody but me.

If anybody knows whether or not this would be a serious issue please let me know.

Thank you,
Isaac Bettis

[jennifer paige smith]

At the risk of pissing folks off here I go again!

Well, I am an old man and even my friends say I'm to damn conservative in my attitudes (leave out politics please). My son has a couple of tattoos and I love him. But where and when I was brought up observation told me and a hard ass DI taught me (when I wanted to join some guys and get a tattoo that said " Death Before Dishonor") that when a person did not hold a cretin quality they desired on the inside they had printed on the outside.

I know attitudes toward body art must have changes since my early formidable years. However old beliefs die hard if ever.

To join in the pissing category: Indeed, if a person is lacking a 'Cretin' quality on the inside they paint it on the outside:D . wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Anecdote: In my High School Aikido Class a student inquired if I had any Aikido tattoos. I responded "Yes. I have a 'Mu Tattoo' right here." and I pointed to my heart. The school supplied assistant rolled her eyes as f to say "You're talking over his head. He doesn't get it, Jen." And so I asked him, "You know what I mean, right?" and he responded very directly and with a loving smile "Yeah. You mean Aikido has tattood your soul."
I raised my shoulders and shrugged in total satisfaction.

I love that Kid!!!!

[mwible]

TO ALL CONCERNED REGARDING THE TATTOO:

TO TATTOO IS THE FORM OF ONES EXPRESSIONS AND DEDICATIONS IN THEIR LIFE. IF YOU DIG DEEP ENOUGH YOU WILL FIND FAULT IN EVERYTHING. GETTING A TATTOO HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TRAINING. I HAVE AIKIDO IN JAPANESE ON MY RIGHT ARM AND IT HAS NOT EFFECTED MY TRAINING IN A NEGATIVE WAY, BUT BECAUSE OF MY SELF CONFIDENCE IT MAY HAVE MADE ME MORE FOCUSED AND DEDICATED TO THE ART. I CONTINUE TRAINING REGULARLY COMING UP ON MY TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY. GETTING A TATOO IS NOT RIGHT FOR THE PERSON THAT WORRIES ABOUT WHAT EVERYONE THINKS. I RESPECT THE TATTOO ARTIST AS IT IN ITSELF IS AN ART AS I WOULD LIKE TO BE RESPECTED FOR THE ART OF AIKIDO.

well put, my friend :)

[Lyle Bogin]

I have three small tattoos, one related to aikido. I had a small rectangular bar done on my right arm when I earned my dan ranking..so I can accumulate them as I move up in rank, one below the other.

[eventus]

I'm replying to the quotes that subsequently follow my insignificant thoughts. Suppose I grant you that someone with tattoos paints on the outside what they lack on the inside. SO WHAT? Does it give you great satisfaction in trying to shame people? We all lack something; none of us are perfect. That some of us choose to express ourselves through body art does not imply deficiency, it implies beauty through expression and art and self. Yes I lack "cretins" as you guys call them. Yes, I may even display the "cretins" that I lack on my body in the forms of tattoos. But who are you to pass any judgment on my choices? I'm just trying to be the best person I can be in spit of the challenges that I face on a daily basis. Body art is, for me, a form of communion with my spirit. What's inside of me and outside of me get expressed in harmonious fashion. Doesn't that idea of harmony remind you of some principle you claim to practice in your "beautiful, loving art?"

"Re: tattoos
Quote:
Dennis Hooker wrote: View Post
At the risk of pissing folks off here I go again!

Well, I am an old man and even my friends say I'm to damn conservative in my attitudes (leave out politics please). My son has a couple of tattoos and I love him. But where and when I was brought up observation told me and a hard ass DI taught me (when I wanted to join some guys and get a tattoo that said " Death Before Dishonor") that when a person did not hold a cretin quality they desired on the inside they had printed on the outside.

I know attitudes toward body art must have changes since my early formidable years. However old beliefs die hard if ever.
To join in the pissing category: Indeed, if a person is lacking a 'Cretin' quality on the inside they paint it on the outside . wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Anecdote: In my High School Aikido Class a student inquired if I had any Aikido tattoos. I responded "Yes. I have a 'Mu Tattoo' right here." and I pointed to my heart. The school supplied assistant rolled her eyes as f to say "You're talking over his head. He doesn't get it, Jen." And so I asked him, "You know what I mean, right?" and he responded very directly and with a loving smile "Yeah. You mean Aikido has tattood your soul."
I raised my shoulders and shrugged in total satisfaction.

I love that Kid!!!!"

[Dan O'Day]

I've got tattoos. I followed the Grateful Dead around for about 15 years. I have a couple of steal your faces I designed along with a musical notes band around my arm.

Twenty or more years later and I don't regret it. The experience during those years was fantastic...a big part of my life. Today aikido is a big part of my life. i don't have any aikido related tattoos nor do I have current intentions of getting any but someday that may change.

Years ago my dad had a farm out in the middle of nowhere and a bit inland on the Oregon Coast. I lived there for awhile as a teenager. He had a sign over the road entrance.

TEHO was all it read. I asked him what it meant. To Each His Own, he said.

Pretty simple stuff and over thirty years later I still remember. Just like it was yesterday.

[jennifer paige smith]

I'm replying to the quotes that subsequently follow my insignificant thoughts. Suppose I grant you that someone with tattoos paints on the outside what they lack on the inside. SO WHAT? Does it give you great satisfaction in trying to shame people? We all lack something; none of us are perfect. That some of us choose to express ourselves through body art does not imply deficiency, it implies beauty through expression and art and self. Yes I lack "cretins" as you guys call them. Yes, I may even display the "cretins" that I lack on my body in the forms of tattoos. But who are you to pass any judgment on my choices? I'm just trying to be the best person I can be in spit of the challenges that I face on a daily basis. Body art is, for me, a form of communion with my spirit. What's inside of me and outside of me get expressed in harmonious fashion. Doesn't that idea of harmony remind you of some principle you claim to practice in your "beautiful, loving art?"

"Re: tattoos
Quote:
Dennis Hooker wrote: View Post
At the risk of pissing folks off here I go again!

Well, I am an old man and even my friends say I'm to damn conservative in my attitudes (leave out politics please). My son has a couple of tattoos and I love him. But where and when I was brought up observation told me and a hard ass DI taught me (when I wanted to join some guys and get a tattoo that said " Death Before Dishonor") that when a person did not hold a cretin quality they desired on the inside they had printed on the outside.

I know attitudes toward body art must have changes since my early formidable years. However old beliefs die hard if ever.
To join in the pissing category: Indeed, if a person is lacking a 'Cretin' quality on the inside they paint it on the outside . wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Anecdote: In my High School Aikido Class a student inquired if I had any Aikido tattoos. I responded "Yes. I have a 'Mu Tattoo' right here." and I pointed to my heart. The school supplied assistant rolled her eyes as f to say "You're talking over his head. He doesn't get it, Jen." And so I asked him, "You know what I mean, right?" and he responded very directly and with a loving smile "Yeah. You mean Aikido has tattood your soul."
I raised my shoulders and shrugged in total satisfaction.

I love that Kid!!!!"

Gosh, I thought it was obvious. The whole first paragraph of the my quote was a joke based on a mis-spelling of the word 'certain' in Dennis Hooker Sensei's post (which is mixed in with mine and slightly indiscernible in the quoted post above). 'We' don't call them 'cretins'.

The second part is purely an anecdote that says nothing of the quality of having a tattoo on the outside of one's body. And, I didn't actually say wether I do or don't have a tattoo on my body. I didn't tell my high school student and I'm not going to tell anyone online.Personal info.

Nor did I say how I feel about it. But because things seem to have gotten a little touchy here, I will say. It couldn't be any less my business how others choose to adorn their bodies ( Except when I'm teaching in my dojo. And then, please tape up your piercings). It is up to an individual to decide how they feel about their life/body and expression and how they choose to enact those feelings.

Personal choice. Personal Responsibility. Personal freedom.

[Rennis Buchner]

I have searched the forums and have not found an answer to this; Will it hinder my ability to go train in Japan If I have a tattoo (even though it is quite unnoticeable and not visible when wearing a short sleeved t-shirt)? The ink in question is quite boring, (a quarter inch solid black line around my arm above the bicep) and doesn't mean anything to anybody but me.

If anybody knows whether or not this would be a serious issue please let me know.

Thank you,
Isaac Bettis

Case by case. I think it depends more on the sensei than the art and being a foreigner will make a difference as well. Off hand I can think of one sensei that would not let anyone with tattoos join their dojo. On the other hand the local aikido sensei (who unfortunately has since passed away) had at least one tattooed American training at his dojo for awhile. My own sensei has allowed tattooed foreigners to train before. I know he isn't a big fan of tattoos, but he says "well, young people do stupid things, no point in holding it over their heads the rest of their life." Most Japanese people realize that Westerners have different attitudes on tattoos than they do and seem to at least try to be more forgiving to the foreign deshi. Again, case by case.

I'm interested on what the situation will be in about 10 years from now will be as in recent years tattooing has become rather popular among Japanese of roughly my generation and below, especially among women surprisingly. In Uni. I knew at least ten classmates (all of them women) who had small tattoos somewhere easily hidden on their bodies. Since then I have completely lost count as so many people I know have gotten them.

For what it's worth,
Rennis Buchner