The rise of the memorial tattoos

According to cable channel TLC, Miami Ink ranks as one of their hottest shows. I was looking for my other favorite cable show, Pimp My Ride, when I ran across an episode of Miami Ink. For those of you who do not have MI on your watchlist, the show is about a tattoo studio in Miami — hence the name, Miami Ink. Pretty clever.

Anyway, this episode featured not one, but two people who were having photos of their dead loved ones tattooed on their backs. A twenty-something-guy had his little sister’s photo tattooed in the middle of his back. She had died of cancer and looked to be about 11 years old. The other tattoo was on a young mother — a photo of her daughter, who had died at age four. Both tattoos were large and in color, and both tattoo artists did an amazing job.

When each tattoo was finished, the new "owner" looked at it tearfully, remarking how beautiful it was. Other family members had tears in their eyes, too. I was really moved that the families wanted to keep the memories of these little girls alive. Both thought a tattoo would be the most-enduring memorial to their loved one. I also have seen ‘memorials’ decaled in the rear windows of cars and pickups, witness to the memories of those who died too young and too soon.

My observation is that the people who remember others with tattoos and window decals would not feel comfortable in a typical church. Whether or not they would be welcomed in a typical church is something else to think about.

What does it say about our culture, when the most fitting memorial that young, working class adults can imagine is a tattoo or rear-window decal? How are we as churches, as Christians, failing this group in our culture? And, are we so put off by their attempt at remembering their loved ones that we dismiss it as an ethnic thing or a poor thing or an uneducated thing to do?

If church is the place where we make sense out of life and death for people, how have we missed a whole generation who turn to the tattoo artist rather than the pastor for comfort and consolation? Why don’t we have something for these young adults to do to keep these memories alive? Right now I have a lot of questions and not many answers.

Source : http://amicusdei.wordpress.com/2007/05/08/the-rise-of-the-memorial-tattoo/

How to Design an Appropriate Memorial Tribute Tattoos

It's a painful experience when someone close to us passes away, and sometimes we are filled with a desire to do something to memorialize that person. A tattoo is a great way to honor someone whom we have lost, and also relieve our own emotional pain. But choosing the right design for a memorial tattoo can be a lot more difficult than choosing one for personal enjoyment.

My first bit of advice would be to wait until you have given yourself time to grieve and mourn your loved one before you make any decision about getting a tattoo. Making such a permanent decision when your emotions are especially high is not a good idea.

A memorial tattoo should reflect the personality and interests of the person you are memorializing. But it also has to be something that you yourself will be proud to wear on your skin.

A Unique Tattoo for a Unique Person
Typical memorial symbols like roses, crosses, and ribbons with the birth and death dates of the person can also be included in your design, but by themselves they are not very unique or imaginative.

Think about your loved one as an individual first. Did they have any serious interests or hobbies? What stood out about them as a person? Maybe they rode a motorcycle, collected beanie babies, were into music or had a penchant for cooking. If you can think of something that represents what made them unique, that’s a great place to start. Then start searching for pictures that depict those things.

Now think of how that person affected your life personally, and why they were special to you. If there was something in particular that bonded you together, is there a picture that comes to mind that could be incorporated in the tattoo? If you enjoyed playing pool together, shared a love for crocheting, or liked hanging out at karaoke bars together, these things all conjure up images that could be included in a tattoo design.

Memorializing a Child
There probably isn't anything more painful than losing a child, no matter what age. If the child was too young to have developed interests or a personality, there may not be any particular images that come to mind. A portrait of the child may be appropriate, as long as it doesn't cause feelings of sorrow when you see the tattoo. Images of angels, halos and angel wings also tend to be popular for child tattoos.

When You Didn't Personally Know Them
If you’re getting a memorial tattoo for someone you didn’t really know, like a fallen soldier or something to symbolize the many lives lost in a tragedy, it presents a special challenge. Think about what best depicts that person or the tragedy in a positive light, and a way that would be considered honorable to others who would have been affected by the same situation.

Whatever design you come up with, the final decision is yours since you are the one that has to live with it. But if you've taken the time to honor the person aptly, the tattoo should bring fond memories and honor them until you leave this world yourself.





Source : http://tattoo.about.com/od/tattoosgeneralinfo/a/memorialtattoo.htm

Hannya Mask Tattoos - What Does It Mean?

Hannya Mask Tattoo - The hannya mask is just one example of the many different types of masks used by the traditional Japanese actors of Noh theater. Noh performances are very stylized representations of traditional and well known stories, developed in Japan during the 14th century. The masks are used to convey the identity and mood of the various characters, who number nearly eighty in the different tales. The hannya mask is specifically used to represent a vengeful and jealous woman. Her anger and envy have so consumed her that she has turned into a demon, but with some important traces of humanity left. The pointed horns, gleaming eyes, fang-like teeth, combined with a look of pure resentment and hate are tempered by the expression of suffering around the eyes and the artfully disarrayed strands of hair, which indicate passionate emotion thrown into disorder. The deeper and more extreme the coloring of the face, the deeper and more violent run the emotions of the character. Tattooing takes full advantage of these fanciful and engaging images, often using them in larger pieces of Japanese work or sometimes juxtaposing masks of good and evil characters. Often a Noh mask will also appear in isolation, as a work of art unto itself, not unlike the actual masks which are highly prized and very collectible.






Source : http://www.tattoosymbol.com/articles/hannya.html