Kanji Tattoos

Shawn Marion Tattoos

The Controversy Behind Shawn Marion Tattoos

Shawn Marion tattoos have attracted more than their share of attention in recent years. Unfortunately, there is not much positive to say about the misfortune he has running down the side of his right calve except that he brought awareness to the importance of being sure you trust your tattooist.

Shawn Marion Tattoos are currently seen, accented by the Dallas Mavericks jersey that is wears. Kenny Smith, TNT analyst nicknamed Shawn The Matrix during his rookie year preseason due to his remarkable and nearly unparalleled athleticism. He is one of the few players that has the strength, speed and skills to play a variety of positions, making him one of the NBA’s most versatile players.

In the 1999 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns chose Marion and in 2004 he joined the United States men’s basketball team for the Olympics. On February 14^th, 2009 Shawn Marion was traded along with Marcus Barks to the Toronto Raptors but by July 2009, he found his home, signing a $39 million, 5-year contact with the Dallas Mavericks.

Lost in Translation

While Shawn Marion tattoos do include an exceptionally well done cross on his right bicep, there is little you can find out about this piece since tabloids and the internet only speak about the ink on his leg. The most talked about Shawn Marion tattoos is the one he had done on his right lower leg in 2003. What his intentions were and what he requested was the Chinese lettering for The Matrix, his nickname. Of course, this was around the time that lettering made a splash on the scene so kudos to Marion for acknowledging the trend on time.

So, what’s the problem with the Shawn Marion tattoos that are suppose to display his nickname? Well, according to Hanzi Smatter, a site that was designed to determine fouls, this is not what the tattoo means at all.

The first symbol is translated as evil spirits, demon or magic power. The second symbol represents a bird and the third is a sign of camphor, yes, the plant used to make mothballs. Demon Bird Mothballs, enough said!

In Marion’s Defense

Although the Shawn Mario tattoos have been the concentration of a lot of ridicule, there actually is some validity to his tattoo. It appears as though his intentions may have been leaning toward the Japanese phonetic translation. The characters sounded out in this way are Ma-tori-kusa which is about the closest Japanese translation you can get because every Japanese letter (except N) ends in a vowel. Since his tattoo is able to be interpreted as art, there is a chance that there is no error at all.

Meghan Mattox Tattoos

The World May Never Know of all the Meghan Mattox Tattoos

It is nearly impossible to know of all of the Meghan Mattox tattoos unless she was to go through the collection herself. Some say that she has 26 while others suggest that the number is closer to 50 or more. This former bass player of My Ruin had a good run with the band. She left in 2001 but came back a year later and now that the show is a two person act with only creator Taimie B and unbelievable Mick Murphy who plays the guitar, bass and drums, Meghan Mattox tattoos are not being spotlighted the way they once were.

Meghan Mattox Tattoos

- Stars – These astrological symbols are found in abundance on Mattox. She has seven on both of her elbows, one on her neck and four on each wrist.
- Happy – Behind her ear, above the star is the Japanese symbol for happy.
- Black Heart – One of the most seen Meghan Mattox tattoos is the black heart on the back of her neck symbolizing Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Joan Jett has been her role model since she was 13 years old.
- Cherry Bomb – On her back, she wears a cherry bomb. This was a top song by Joan Jett’s first band, The Runaways.

Right Half Sleeve – On her right arm, Mattox displays half sleeve of Samantha from the television show Bewitched. On the inside of her same arm she has what she refers to as a punk rock sacred heart.

Left Half Sleeve – On her left arm, she has a half sleeve with Death, a comic book character.
Bats – Meghan has two Chinese bats displayed on her chest.
Naked Aggression – One of the many tribute Meghan Mattox tattoos is a logo for the band Naked Aggression that she was once in, worn on her chest next to a bat.
8 – Next to the other bat on her chest is a number 8 that you may understand if you happen to see Alien Resurrection.
Stomach – The word DESIRE is inked on her stomach and this is one of the only Meghan Mattox tattoos that she says hurt a lot.
The Shroud – Directly below her bellybutton, Mattox wears three crosses which is a logo for The Shroud, another band she once played in.
Key – There is a key being carried by bat wings on her right shin.
Keyhole – On the back of Meghan’s right calve is a keyhole and inside there is a 50s pinup girl silhouette.
Sun and Moon – On Meghan’s right foot is a sun and on her left foot is a moon.
Ankle – Here is one of the more meaningful Meghan Mattox tattoos. She had a friendship bracelet inked around her ankle with Ruby Cruiser’s drummer when she was in the UK.
Metal – There is the Japanese symbol for metal displayed on her right wrist that she says is her favourite tattoo. She got this on her last day in London with Roy Mayorga and the SugarComas.
The Exorcist – Megan has the movie poster picture of The Exorcist on her left lower leg and plans on getting The Omen on the other leg at a later time.

The Detailed History Behind Kanji Tattoos

It was sometime in the 4^th century that the inspiration for Kanji tattoos was born. It was then that pictograms were borrowed from the Koreans and Chinese and literacy was created in Japan. While the Korean and Chinese people called these symbols hanzi, the Japanese referred to them as kanji. This term means han characters. Kanji symbols have survived through history as the tradition of the writing system for Japan.

It is true that the Japanese adopted these unfamiliar symbols from the Chinese however, they did not understand the language. Chinese and Japanese dialects are completely different. For the reason, the Japanese people had to creatively take these symbols and make them their own.

Kanji tattoos are adored for the way that one strong symbol can represent an idea, feeling or an object. The Japanese also found a way to incorporate two different alphabets being hiragana and katakana into the symbols. That being said, to actually be able to read Japanese properly, you have to have the knowledge to differentiate between three different writing systems.

Pictorial ideals are represented in kanji tattoos. They provide the meaning of verbs, nouns and adjectives. As beautiful as kanji is, it is also very difficult to learn and requires a very skilled tattooist to correctly provide these types of pieces.

In fact, it is so difficult that well over 1,000 symbols are needed just to have the ability to read the morning newspaper. By the sixth grade, children in Japanese schools are required to learn basic vocabulary which may be a good reason why they are depicted as being so brilliant. Over 2,000 symbols can be used by one individual on any given day.

While you may think that kanji tattoos must be extremely popular in Japan, they’re not. They are actually barely even heard of there. It is the Westerners that find expressing a multitude of objects and feelings with a mysterious symbol so incredibly intriguing. Kanji tattoos have become so popular that they actually account for 20 percent of tattoo designs searched on the internet today.

The people that started the trend of wearing kanji symbols felt that they could identify them with Eastern philosophy. Kanji tattoos are expected to remain one of the most popular choices to wear by people of any age and sex because of the beauty and mystery behind them as well as the courage that it takes to wear the unknown.

Kanji Symbols

A Detailed Look at Kanji Symbols

While some tattooists embrace the opportunity to complete kanji symbols, others completely reject the idea. Kanji is not something that you can simply master without a substantial amount of dedication and practice. Those who are very good at it are very talented and highly respected artists.

Kanji symbols are part of a very complex system that is based on pictographs rather than alphabetical letters. Every symbol requires up to 30 individuals strokes from the pen. Many symbols are complex, offering up to 10 different interpretations which means that it takes great skill to have the linguistic knowledge that is needed to accurately analyze what the kanji symbols mean. Therefore, if Japanese is not your native tongue, you cannot be guaranteed of the exact meaning of your tattoo unless you fully trust your tattooist.

Despite the risk that comes with wearing a permanent display of the unknown, kanji symbols account for a large portion of tattoos received everyday. Why? Simply because they have unique, mysterious, bold and beautiful qualities all rolled into one symbol.

Types of Kanji Symbols

There are a few types of kanji symbols that are seen more in tattoos than they are in everyday use. Kaisho is one that you are probably familiar with, characterized by the bold angular black script. Kanji is also commonly written in gyosho, which is semi-cursive or sosho, which is full cursive. The style chosen is usually based on how the client accepts the flow of the symbol. Some people prefer a soft and loose look while others like the look of a tight, neat symbol.

Choosing a text style for kanji symbols should always be a choice of personal reflection and never forced by the artist. After all, tattoos are about self-interpretation. Some masters of the dialect even suggest that you don’t necessarily need to know the meaning of a symbol, some people are drawn to one for whatever reason and the meaning usually ends up fitting them well.

The Difficulty of Kanji Symbols

When writing kanji symbols, every one of them demands an exact order of brush strokes. This can never be altered. For a tattoo artist to draw these symbols and complete them precisely the way that they are meant to look is extremely difficult. It is also rare to find someone with such talent to do so.

It is advised when you decide to get kanji tattoos to take the time to research your tattooist. Look at their portfolio and experience in the related field. If you want to feel completely confident in the meaning of your symbol, there are trusted and respected stencil that you can purchase online to take to your tattooist to use.