Tiger Tattoos

What does a tiger tattoo mean?

Different traditions looked at the tiger and saw very different things. In Japanese irezumi it ranks almost alongside the dragon: the pair is drawn as opposing forces, and a tiger in bamboo is read as strength combined with flexibility. China made the White Tiger, Baihu, guardian of the west and of autumn, read the character 王, "king", in the stripes on its forehead, and dressed children in tiger hats to keep evil spirits away. Korean minhwa folk painting shows a goofy tiger outwitted by a magpie, a running joke about people in power. In Hindu tradition the tiger carries the goddess Durga. As a tattoo it reads as power, protection and presence. Japanese compositions with wind bars, realism and black and grey are the usual choices, mostly on the back, shoulder or chest.

tiger tattoo meaning