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Cherry Blossom Tattoos

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If you are looking for a floral pattern, cherry blossom tattoos are a great choice. It doesn't matter if you choose a tattoo of a single flower or whole tree, both are equally glorious and beautiful.

A lot of cherry trees are cultivated in order to keep and enhance their beauty instead of producing fruit. Such a way of cultivating trees is traditional in Japan, China, Vietnam and regions around them.

There are dozens of different cherry blossom species which differ slightly in the appearance.

Cherry Blossom Tattoos - What Do They Mean

Cherry trees and especially their blossoms are depicted in Japanese and Chinese art and poetry for centuries. Cherry trees take a very prominent position in their culture. Yet the ways how Chinese and Japanese interpret these flowers are quite different. Cherry blossom tattoos from Chinese point of view would be commonly associated with the feminine power and energy. It a very significant symbol of both the elegance, devotion, affection, beauty, attractiveness of women as well as the strong, more active side of female character - the feminine dominance, sexual power.

The herbal lore of the Chinese people often tells that cherry blossom is the symbol of love. The tree stands strong throughout the years while the blossom, the flowers are gentle, fragile and bloom only for a short period of time. The delicate, transient nature of the cherry blossom is the basis for interpreting cherry blossom symbolism in Japanese culture and art.

Japanese Cherry Blossom Tattoos

Japanese people think about the cherry blossom tree as a token of existence considering that the blossoming time of the cherry blossom is short. The symbolism of sakura blossoms is rooted in the influence of Buddhism on Japanese culture. One of the fundamental teachings in Buddhism is the transitory nature of life which suggests not to get attached to it too much for it will eventually fade away. Cherry blossom tattoos in the eyes of a Buddhist is yet another reminder that this life is not permanent.

Cherry blossom unofficially is the national flower of Japan. It is also greatly associated with patriotism and Japanese military. During the World War II cherry blossoms were used to promote nationalism and inspire the Japanese spirit. The falling sakura blossoms are metaphors for fallen soldiers who died in the battle. The origins of this interpretation are found in the samurai culture. The Nippon warrior would have to be prepared to sacrifice his life for his country.

Cherry Blossom Tattoo Designs - Japanese Flowers Tattoo Designs

When it comes to choosing a cherry blossom design, you can browse through cherry blossom photos for inspiration. To get a final, professional design a good idea could be looking through all sorts of different layouts and styles various tattoo websites offer.

The most common are traditional Oriental designs but also a lot of modern drawing styles are popular. Cherry blossom tattoos are a nice choice for when it comes to tattoo size since they are so versatile. One can choose to get a single flower, a branch of cherry blossoms or even an image of a whole tree.

You might also want to consider having the image of cherry blossoms only as a part of a tattoo. Various insects, bugs, butterflies, little birds can find a rest on cherry blossom branches. Cherry blossoms can also be decorations of another image such as koi fish, setting sun, Japanese dragon etc. A nice idea is also to decorate Japanese hieroglyphs with sakura flowers.

Good luck in finding the tattoo you are looking for!

As a result of cultivating and creating new species the ornamental cherry trees they vary greatly in shape and size. For example, shidare sakura is a cherry tree whose branches fall like those of the weeping willow and they bear cascades of rich pink blossoms. The blossoms of cherry trees can be white, almost white with a slight hint of pale pink, dark pink, pinkish orange and even rich red.

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