# Kung Fu Tattoo **URL:** \ **Category:** Kung Fu Forum\ **Created:** [March 29, 2002, 3:17am UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385 "2002-03-29T03:17:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![logic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aca169/32.png) [@logic](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/logic)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 3:17am UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/1 "2002-03-29T03:17:07Z")
I have this cool Yin Yang Tat on the back of my right calf.(about the size of a silver dollar) It started to fade, so I had the black filled in a little. Yeah:cool: I must say it’s lookin gooooood. Any other tats out there, or plans on getting one? ---
**Author:** ![friday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dec6dc/32.png) [@friday](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/friday)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/2 "2002-03-29T03:35:50Z")
hmmm…i don’t have any tats but I would like to get a small chinese dragon on my left shoulder blade just left of my spine. I had thought of getting the chinese character ‘crane’ on my shoulder but…i was told many many times by some close friends of mine that that is ‘lo to’ meaning old fashioned, out of date so i think i have ditched that idea for now. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Crimson\_Phoenix](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/crimson_phoenix/32/132_2.png) [@Crimson\_Phoenix](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/Crimson_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 9:43am UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/3 "2002-03-29T09:43:59Z")
Lo To huh? Go for it, \*\*\*\*\*\*…my chinese friends always tell me “we chinese blah blah”…I go “what?? You gotta be kidding me, I sweat and suffer more to preserve a part of chinese culture more than you ever will”. Chinese born overseas are totally overlooking their root culture, I think it’s a shame…I’m happy that they are mixing well in western societies, but if it means forgetting or looking down on some cultural treasures they could have, then it’s a shame. Anyway, just a rant to tell you that if you want to do it, then do it, it’s not old fashion, it’s traditional 🙂 As for myself, I have a phoenix tattooed on my left shoulder blade. I definitely plan to get another one, covering either my other shoulder blade, or the rest of my back… ---
**Author:** ![Skarbromantis](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/skarbromantis/32/174_2.png) [@Skarbromantis](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/Skarbromantis)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 2:16pm UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/4 "2002-03-29T14:16:06Z")
Got alot of non-martial arts tatoos, but i want to put my class logo on my back, as soon as i feel im good enough. Skard1 ---
**Author:** ![Qi\_dup](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/qi_dup/32/217_2.png) [@Qi\_dup](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/Qi_dup)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 2:30pm UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/5 "2002-03-29T14:30:13Z")
I’m one of the billions of people with chinese symbols on my back. I didn’t just pick them out at a tattoo shop, I’d had them in my head since i was like 10. I know it’s the trendy thing to do these days, but it’s ok I like mine:) I also have a pretty cool rampant lion on my left shoulder. I’ve been contemplating getting one that says ‘john barleycorn must die’ for about a year, but i don’t think that is ever going to happen really. My friend is gonig to get Ralph from the simpson or mighty mouse. Tattoos seem to be a pretty touchy subject because everyone has very diffiering ideas. I also like those dark tribal ones you see on every college kids arm. ---
**Author:** ![ewallace](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/ewallace/32/191_2.png) [@ewallace](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/ewallace)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 2:49pm UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/6 "2002-03-29T14:49:32Z")
I am thinking about getting a tatoo of Kuan Ti on my right arm or back of shoulder. It is going to cost a grip to get it done right though. ---
**Author:** ![shaolinboxer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@shaolinboxer](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/shaolinboxer)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 3:27pm UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/7 "2002-03-29T15:27:21Z")
I have a toatoo of the kanji for strength on my left arm, and grace on the back of my right shoulder. Looking for a new tatoo, thinking about getting a star of david. ---
**Author:** ![dwid](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/dwid/32/70_2.png) [@dwid](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/dwid)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 3:29pm UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/8 "2002-03-29T15:29:23Z")
Some big black bars (taoist wards against ghosts) on either side of my back running about 2/3 top to bottom, a big bagua with a chinese demon face in the center with a sword in its mouth in the center of my lower back (all black and gray). Another taoist symbol on my left forearm. Semi-related, a very stylized rendition of my chinese zodiac (rabbit) based loosely on the character blackavar from watership down - the coolest rabbit ever. Finally, a lotus in a pool on my chest, surrounded by the heart sutra mantra in sanskrit. Luckily, I have a lot of tattoo artist friends, so these tats haven’t completely put me in the poor house. Eventually, I want a thousand armed avalokiteshvara to take up the rest of my back. My friend who I’m always trying to talk into taking this design on as a challenge insists that if we did it, we’d have to do all 1,000 arms. Oh joy. ---
**Author:** ![dwid](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/dwid/32/70_2.png) [@dwid](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/dwid)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 3:33pm UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/9 "2002-03-29T15:33:31Z")
On a related note, if you ever get a kanji tattoo, be sure you get the kanji from a reliable source before presenting it to the artist. Lots of the kanji appearing now on random household items often totally don’t mean what they say they do. Case in point, a friend of mine was given a coffee mug that was supposed to have his name in kanji. His brother, who also was given a mug with what was supposed to be his name on it had the exact same symbol on his mug. It was probably the kanji equivalent of “sucker.” ---
**Author:** ![Mutant](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/mutant/32/220_2.png) [@Mutant](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/Mutant)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 4:26pm UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/10 "2002-03-29T16:26:52Z")
yeah i have a dragon on my arm. got it back when i was way into dragon part of wu xing chuan,5 animals. got the image out of a 5 animal masters book from hong kong. i forget i have the \*\*\*\* thing most of the time. don;t regret it though. ---
**Author:** ![Ray\_Pina](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/ray_pina/32/242_2.png) [@Ray\_Pina](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/Ray_Pina)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 7:10pm UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/11 "2002-03-29T19:10:52Z")
I have a yin/yang (Taiji) on my left bicep but its kind of distorted with edges, like a buzz saw. Its also surrounded by traibal polynesian waves. I’m over it. Got it when I was a studid teenager. I want to go over it with a landscape scene. I’m going to wait till next winter so I can surf this summer and not sweat it. If I could go back I wouldn’t have gotten it, but since I did I will just evelove it oevr time to express my current self. ---
**Author:** ![dwid](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/dwid/32/70_2.png) [@dwid](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/dwid)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 7:15pm UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/12 "2002-03-29T19:15:43Z")
If the yin-yang is all filled in, you’re going to be hard pressed to cover it up. The more black space in a tattoo, the harder it is to come up with an effective cover-up design. ---
**Author:** ![bongtzu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@bongtzu](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/bongtzu)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 8:27pm UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/13 "2002-03-29T20:27:28Z")
I have the Chinese characters for “Freedom” tattooed on my right arm just below the shoulder. It’s symbolic in that it was done by a good friend and former roommate in our kitchen (with a tat gun, not the ol’ ink n’ needle method), and it was done just before my roomies and I moved from Chicago to Santa Cruz… It’s “just another word for nothin’ left to lose…” ---
**Author:** ![straight\_blast](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/straight_blast/32/192_2.png) [@straight\_blast](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/straight_blast)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 2:06am UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/14 "2002-03-30T02:06:08Z")
One of my uncle’s is an artist, and the other is a tatooist. My artist uncle is working on an armband for me. The idea is a western dragon biting the tail of an eastern dragon biting the western dragon’s tail circling around my left arm at the biceps level. It usually takes my uncle about a year or so to do a piece though so I think I’ll be waiting for a bit. My other tatt is going to cost me $450 (had it priced yesterday!) so I think I’ll be waiting a bit for that one too as I’m too poor to even train at the moment. When I get them done I’ll post some pics of them. The second tatt is going on my left shoulder and is a werewolf using bong sao/straight punch simultaneously, but he’s wearing torn punching wraps (in memory of my beloved Muay Thai days). Can’t hardly wait, but I have to. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![friday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dec6dc/32.png) [@friday](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/friday)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 2:53am UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/15 "2002-03-30T02:53:14Z")
hmmm… a friend of mine just said it could be bad luck if u get the a tattoo thats not right for u or in the wrong place…any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![TenTigers](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/tentigers/32/74_2.png) [@TenTigers](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/TenTigers)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 4:53am UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/16 "2002-03-30T04:53:06Z")
I’m an artist. I draw alot of tattoos for my friends and students who then take them over to tattoo artists who then make transfers and tattoo them and charge 400 bucks, so…I got my own tattoo gun and I’m going to do it myself. If I ever get a round tuit. another thing, like the other guy said, get your chinese or japanese characters from a reliable source. I saw a girl with a tat on her arm, she thought it said something like warrior woman or some crap-it said concubine. Here’s something fun. I see guys at tournaments all the time with the dragon and tiger tats on their forearms, and I look at it and say,“Oh man, you got it backwards. The tiger goes on the left, and the dragon on the right” then I wait about an hour,before telling him I was joshin’ ! they usually don’t laugh quite as much as I do…funny. ---
**Author:** ![wushu\_chik](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/wushu_chik/32/196_2.png) [@wushu\_chik](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/wushu_chik)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 7:37am UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/17 "2002-03-30T07:37:24Z")
I have the Chinese Character for Dragon on the small of my back in red (thats the sign I was born under FIRE DRAGON!!). I also have a dolphin on the inside of my right ankle and I have a butterfly on my left big toe. I am getting another one, probably a band around my arm with chinese Character. What do ya think I should get besides that? ~Wen~ ---
**Author:** ![TenTigers](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/tentigers/32/74_2.png) [@TenTigers](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/TenTigers)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 7:56am UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/18 "2002-03-30T07:56:30Z")
it’s always good practice to tattoo the small of your back. Didja ever see an acupuncture chart? There are dozens of main points all converging at the small of your back, and you’re digging needles into it. Tell me in 10 years what effect it has on the system. Hmmmm, that would make a kewl tat! I’m gonna tattoo the entire chart on myself. Wait a minute, what am I saying? I’m gonna talk some dolt into doing it instead! -probably find someone stupid enuf in the clubs or at ren faires! ---
**Author:** ![grogan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/grogan/32/248_2.png) [@grogan](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/grogan)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 9:02am UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/19 "2002-03-30T09:02:02Z")
I’ve got a huge tattoo of the Karate Kid in the crane stance on my chest, it was cool in the 80’s but not so much now. ---
**Author:** ![wushu\_chik](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.kungfumagazine.com/wushu_chik/32/196_2.png) [@wushu\_chik](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/u/wushu_chik)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 10:06am UTC](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385/20 "2002-03-30T10:06:56Z")
TenTigers…you are about dumb. First off, like anything would be permanent. It’s not like i am walking around with needles stuck in my back ALL THE TIME. Why don’t you go find someone else to talk smack to, because all you will get HERE with ME is it back at ya, about 100 fold. ASK ANYONE.. i won’t take stupidity very easily. And, from your posts, it looks like that’s exactly what you are. Go read some more Mantak Chia books. ~Wen~ [Next page](https://forum.kungfumagazine.com/t/kung-fu-tattoo/22385.md?page=2)