wow! :P im a bengali and most in my community associate fishes with FOOD :P id b royallllly laughed at if i get this koi maach tattooed :P but it still looks fabulous on the leg. any tattoo on the leg always turns out very beautiful!!

Koi fish is a symbol of love and fiendship, because the term ”koi” means love and affection. In japanese culture koi is liked very much.

but why this koi fish is black and white only? I like colourful koi fish , that looks great under water, because when the light passes through their shiny coloueed body, it relfects a stuuning effect. well, I don’t eat fish, so I just like to enjoy its beauty.

KOI Fish

Probably surprising to many Westerners is the large amount of myth surrounding this beautiful FISH. It is known outside Japan as the brightly colored white, golden, orange, and even calico fish that fascinates private collectors but that can also be found in public ponds. The Japanese carp or koi is one of the more popular and beautiful of Japanese tattoo symbols a beauty that belies its symbolic meaning. Although Chinese in origin, the carp is celebrated for its manly qualities in Japan. It is said to climb waterfalls bravely, and, if caught, it lies upon the cutting board awaiting the knife without a quiver, not unlike a SAMURAI facing a SWORD. This theme dates back to ancient China, where a legend tells of how any koi that succeeded in climbing the falls at a point called Dragon Gate (on the Yellow River) would be transformed into a dragon. Thus the fish became a symbol of worldly aspiration and advancement. Eventually, the stoic fish came to be associated with so many masculine and positive qualities that it was appropriated for the annual Boys’ Day festival in Japan, when colorful, streaming koi FLAGS are traditionally displayed for each son in the family. In tattoo imagery, especially in combination with flowing WATER, it symbolizes much the same—courage, the ability to attain high goals, and overcoming life’s difficulties. Tattoo Designs www.tattoobody.org