Japanese tattoo ideas

839 photos and flash · Upper arm most common

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Black linework flash of an Eastern-style dragon coiling through clouds, a design suited to a Japanese style back or sleeve tattoo.
Eastern dragon with clouds
A sheet of blue line and solid wave designs in a Japanese-influenced style, arranged in rows on a white background.
Sheet of blue wave designs
Navy engraved-style drawing of a curling wave with foam and a dark speckled circle on a beige background, a flash design with no body placement shown.
Curling wave with splatter circle
Pastel-coloured Japanese-style dragon design winding around peony blossoms and leaves on a cream background, drawn as a flash piece.
Pastel dragon and peonies design
Coloured Japanese-style flash design of a roaring tiger among bamboo and swirling clouds, with a small frog holding a leaf in the lower right corner.
Tiger and bamboo flash with frog in rain
Black ink design of a swallow in flight, with its wings and body filled with Japanese-style waves, flowers and a koi-like fish, drawn on a white background.
Swallow in flight with wave and koi patterns
Japanese style colour design of a red oni with thunder drums, blue dragons and swirling clouds, shown as a full drawing with no body placement.
Red oni with dragons and thunder clouds
Black and grey pen drawing of a coiled Japanese-style dragon with a open mouth, horns, whiskers and claws, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Coiled Japanese-style dragon design
Painted Japanese style design of a green snake coiling around pink and yellow lotus flowers over dark swirling clouds, shown on a flat back torso cutout.
Snake and lotus back design on a painted torso
Black and grey koi fish drawing in a Japanese style with orange fins and a red gill patch, beside the heading The Meaning Behind Koi Fish Tattoos.
Koi fish tattoo design with heading text
Black and grey flash drawing of a Chinese-style dragon coiling on the left and a phoenix with spread wings on the right, with no body placement shown.
Dragon and phoenix tattoo design
Black line drawing of a Japanese shishi lion with peonies and swirling waves, styled as a tattoo design on paper, with no body placement shown.
Japanese shishi lion with peonies and waves
Black and white line drawing of a swallow in flight with cherry blossoms and falling petals, shown as a tattoo design rather than on skin.
Swallow and cherry blossom design
Black and grey pencil drawing of a Japanese-style dragon design with a spiked mane, scaled body and clawed foot, shown as a flash sketch.
Dragon design with spiked mane and claws
Black and grey pencil drawing of a geisha with a flowered parasol, a fan and cherry blossom, shown as a tattoo design rather than on skin.
Geisha with parasol and fan
Pencil sketch of a Japanese-style dragon with claws, whiskers and a scaled body, drawn in blue and red pencil for a tattoo design.
Japanese dragon design in pencil
Black stencil design of two stylised koi fish curving around a circle with three dots between them, in a Japanese style.
Two koi fish in a circle stencil
Black and grey Japanese style tattoo flash of a horned oni skull wearing a hannya mask, surrounded by swirling smoke, with no body placement shown.
Oni skull with hannya mask design
Line drawing of a Japanese-style peony and chrysanthemum design with swirling waves and clouds on a dark background, shown as a tattoo design rather than on skin.
Japanese peony and wave design
Full-colour Japanese-style dragon design in blue and orange with orange flame-like fins, coiled and clawed, shown on a white background.
Coiled dragon design in blue and orange
Japanese style flash drawing of a green and red dragon coiling over black and grey waves, with a small cartoon figure in a yellow robe beside it.
Green dragon flash with wave background
White line drawing of a whale built from stylised waves on a navy background, with a tiny boat and figures in the sea, drawn as a flash design.
Whale formed from waves and a small boat
Flash-style drawing of a leaping brown fox with a teal wash swirl, next to a bold black kanji character meaning fox, on a white background.
Leaping fox beside a kanji character
Illustration of a hairless cat with a Japanese style koi fish, waves and clouds tattoo in blue and black, leaning over a pale hairless cat.
Tattooed hairless cat with a koi and waves design
Full-colour Japanese style flash drawing of a snarling tiger among bamboo leaves and clouds, with a small frog below, shown without a body placement.
Tiger, bamboo and frog flash design
A pencil sketch on tracing paper of a horned warrior holding a spear above a second armoured figure, in a Japanese-influenced tattoo design with clouds and a large circle behind.
Horned warrior with spear, tattoo sketch
Black ink drawing of two whale tails rising from stylised waves on white paper, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Two whale tails with waves
Black and grey flash collage of Totoro-style creatures in ink sketches, with plants, mushrooms, a pair of Chinese characters and an Art Nouveau reclining figure.
Totoro sketches, botanicals and Art Nouveau figures
Black line drawing of a stylised animal leaping beside a blossom branch and curling cloud shapes, in a Japanese-influenced flash style.
Stylised animal with blossom branch
Colour drawing of a silver Japanese-style dragon with orange flame accents, coiling through blue stylised waves, as a tattoo design.
Silver dragon with blue waves and orange flames
Black ink Japanese-style tiger design climbing downward with a curled tail, beside the kanji 虎, printed on orange textured paper.
Tiger with kanji on orange paper
Red-brown line drawing of a Japanese dragon coiling through wisps of cloud, with cherry blossoms, as a tattoo design sketch.
Japanese dragon with cherry blossoms
Flash design of a scowling blue daruma-style mask with crossed swords behind it and the script lettering Read Between The Lines above, with no placement on the body shown.
Angry blue daruma mask with crossed swords
Black and grey Japanese style flash design of a coiling dragon with lily-like flowers and cloud motifs on a white background.
Black and grey dragon with flowers and clouds
Colour Japanese style full back tattoo design showing a pig-headed figure in a patterned robe, surrounded by orange flames, clouds and a snake.
Pig-headed figure in flames, Japanese back design
Black and gold koi fish drawn in a Japanese style with white scale outlines and red gills, beside the headline The Meaning Behind Koi Fish Tattoos, with no body part shown.
Black and gold koi fish tattoo design
Pencil sketch of a geisha with cherry blossom, clouds and a koi fish in Japanese style, drawn on pink paper as a tattoo design.
Geisha with koi and cherry blossom sketch
Black line drawing on translucent paper of two chrysanthemums, cherry blossom sprigs and loose petals in a Japanese botanical flash style.
Chrysanthemum and cherry blossom flash sheet
Pencil drawing of a tattoo design showing two shaded koi fish within black tribal-style lines, with flowers and swirls, in black and grey.
Koi fish and flower tattoo design
Large LOVE letters filled with pink cherry blossoms, petals and grey Japanese-style clouds on a light grey background.
LOVE letters with cherry blossom design
Black and grey line drawing of a coiling Eastern dragon with a flaming pearl, shown as a tattoo design on paper with no body placement.
Eastern dragon with a flaming pearl
Flash drawing of stylised blue Japanese-style clouds with a pink bullet shape, shown on a plain white background with no body placement.
Blue clouds and pink bullet flash design
Coloured Japanese-style design of a samurai warrior in armour holding a drawn sword, surrounded by yellow lightning bolts, clouds and black waves.
Samurai warrior with lightning and waves
Black and grey Japanese-style dragon design with cream flame highlights, coiling across a white background.
Grey dragon with flames design
Blue ink drawing of two koi fish circling in a yin and yang arrangement, surrounded by stylised water swirls, in a Japanese style.
Two koi fish in a yin and yang circle
Flash design of a red, orange and yellow Japanese-style dragon coiling through black clouds, with no body placement shown.
Japanese dragon among clouds and flames
Black ink drawing of a snarling tiger with bold striped shading, crouched on rocks, shown as a tattoo design on plain paper.
Snarling tiger on rocks design
Full-colour Japanese style flash design of a green spotted lion dog beside a pink peony, set among black and grey waves and swirling clouds.
Peony and lion dog back piece design