Koi Dragon Tattoo

A Koi Dragon tattoo is just one particular type of dragon tattoo design that can be inked onto the skin of nearly any tattoo enthusiast, if they so chose it to be of course. The moving and meaningful symbols of the Koi fish and the Koi Dragon make the images of both perfect to use when designing tattoos.

According to a traditional Japanese myth, the Koi dragon is indicative of rebirth, renewal, new beginnings, and even a transformation of the self. Since the Koi fish tattoo is likely a very familiar tattoo image in many tattoos enthusiasts’ minds, the image of the Koi Dragon tattoo is probably not too far behind it in the consciousness of tattoo enthusiast. The coolest part is that Koi fish tattoos are deeply linked to Koi Dragon tattoos—and not simply through their images’ presence and significance in traditional Japanese culture either.

The image of the Koi Dragon that is depicted in the Koi Dragon tattoo is based on the Koi fish /Koi dragon myth found in traditional Japanese folklore.  The traditional myth of the Koi fish and the Koi Dragon in Japanese culture is basically this:

The Koi fish is believed to have traveled upstream, against the current of a river, enduring various trials and hardships. The Koi fish entire journey upstream has been one big challenge—a spiritual and mental test of sorts—and the closer the Koi fish gets to the beginning of the river the closer it gets to the most difficult and most challenging part of this metaphysical test of strength and endurance. The Koi fish must travel against not only the current of the river itself but against the force of the waterfall at the river’s beginning. If the Koi fish successfully travels past the force of the river’s waterfall, it will prove its spiritual strength and the purity of its perseverance and will be rewarded by being transformed into a beautiful, strong, and powerful Koi Dragon.

Because of this myth and its connection to the Koi Dragon—a dragon that symbolizes inner strength, personal achievement as well as personal growth—the Koi fish is a symbol of endurance and perseverance. The symbolism associated with the images in a Koi dragon tattoo within traditional Japanese culture is similar to the symbolism associated with the image of the mythical bird the Phoenix. While the Phoenix has its symbolic origins rooted in the ancient cultures of Greece and Egypt it shares its symbolic meaning with traditional Japanese culture’s Koi Dragon of rebirth and regeneration. The similar symbolism of the two distant yet fabled creatures is striking and makes each of their images very popular ones for use in tattoo designs.

Yet, the power of a Koi Dragon tattoo does not whole rely on its image’s symbolic significance; there are the rich colors and aesthetic perks of the Koi Dragon tattoo design for the tattoo enthusiast to consider as well. Rich oranges, the details of the Koi Dragon fish-like scales—which is keeps from the transformed body of the Koi fish—and the potential of being able to use the element of water in your tattoo design should all be things that people eager to get a Koi Dragon tattoo need to keep in mind too.