Every subject in traditional Japanese tattooing carries meaning. This isn't decoration it's a visual language developed over centuries, rooted in Japanese folklore, Buddhism, Shintoism, and classical art. When you choose a subject for a large-scale Japanese tattoo, you're choosing what that piece says about you for the rest of your life. Here is what the most common subjects represent. Japanese Tattoo Meanings: The Dragon The dragon — ryū — is one of the most powerful subject