Japanese tattoo ideas

839 photos and flash · Upper arm most common

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Colour tattoo of a red Chinese guardian lion with a gold-patterned ball and blue bell on the upper arm, in a realistic Japanese style.
Red guardian lion on upper arm
Japanese-style tattoo covering a torso and both arms, with a large koi fish, peonies, clouds and a moon on the chest and a colour peony sleeve on each arm.
Japanese koi, peony and cloud torso and sleeves
Black and white photo of a man seen from behind, showing a large Japanese style back tattoo of an eagle, waves and clouds, with script lettering and tattoos on his upper arms and forearms.
Full back piece with eagle and waves
Full arm sleeve tattoo of a koi carp with chrysanthemums and clouds in Japanese style, shown from three angles on an upper arm.
Koi and chrysanthemum arm sleeve
Three-panel photo of a black linework wave tattoo covering a shoulder and upper arm, in a fine line style with Japanese-inspired curling waves.
Stylised wave tattoo across shoulder and upper arm
Pink cherry blossom branch tattoo with black outlines wrapping over the shoulder and upper arm.
Cherry blossom branch on a shoulder
Colour tattoo of a cherry blossom branch with pink flowers and black and grey limbs, wrapping across the upper arm in a Japanese-inspired style.
Cherry blossom branch across an upper arm
Neo-traditional tattoo of a black cat with green eyes and a pink tongue, surrounded by cherry blossoms, on an upper arm.
Black cat and cherry blossoms
Black and grey Japanese style phoenix full sleeve tattoo covering the shoulder, upper arm and forearm, shown in three side-by-side photographs.
Phoenix full arm sleeve
Black and grey realism tattoo of a geisha with a lotus flower and a butterfly on the upper arm and shoulder.
Geisha portrait with lotus on upper arm
Back view of a woman with a full Japanese-style back tattoo showing a geisha in a kimono, cherry blossom and a lantern, against a pink wall.
Japanese geisha back piece with cherry blossom
Colour Japanese style sleeve tattoo on an upper arm and shoulder, with orange tiger lilies, purple flowers, green leaves and grey waves.
Lily and waves sleeve tattoo
Fine black linework and blue-green wash form a curling wave tattoo on an upper arm, with small dark marks above it.
Blue-green wave tattoo on an upper arm
Back view of a woman with a full Japanese style back tattoo of a geisha among flowers, with tattooed sleeves on both arms.
Full back Japanese geisha piece with sleeves
A man with full-body Japanese style tattoos in green, red and cream, showing a koi fish and peony flowers on the torso and arms, with his hands clasped in front of white underwear.
Japanese koi and peony tattoos on torso and arms
Pencil sketch of a woman with eyes closed and a bonsai pine tattoo design across her shoulder and upper arm, drawn in a Japanese-inspired style.
Woman with bonsai pine tattoo design, pencil sketch
Full body suit design of a red Japanese dragon with yellow claws, chrysanthemums and clouds across the back, arms and thighs.
Red dragon full body suit design
Two arms show black and grey full sleeve tattoos with a samurai warrior and skull on the left arm and ravens, swords and a skull on the right, both covering the upper arm and forearm.
Samurai and skull full sleeves
Back tattoo of a red cherry blossom branch running from the shoulder down the spine and onto the upper arm, with dark branches and soft shading.
Cherry blossom branch down a back
Japanese style full sleeve tattoo of a purple octopus with pink suckers and grey waves across the shoulder and upper arm, with a green anchor near the lower arm.
Octopus and waves full sleeve
Black and grey Japanese style tattoo of a mermaid with cherry blossoms and swirling waves on the upper arm.
Mermaid with blossoms and waves on upper arm
Woman's arm with a colourful Japanese-style sleeve tattoo showing a red peony, a female figure and blue swirls, photographed in a mirror selfie.
Japanese-style sleeve with rose and figure
Three views of a full arm sleeve tattoo in colour, showing blue tulip buds, swirling scrolls and pale clouds across the upper arm and forearm.
Full arm sleeve with tulips, clouds and scrolls
Two views of a Japanese-style tattoo on an upper arm and shoulder, showing grey ninja figures, red ink splashes, kanji characters and a pagoda.
Ninja and pagoda shoulder piece with kanji
Pink origami bird patterned with white cherry blossoms, outlined in black, with pink and purple watercolour-style splashes beside it on an upper arm.
Origami bird with cherry blossoms on upper arm
Full body Japanese style tattoo covering a man's arms, chest, back and legs, with a dragon, cherry blossoms, clouds and waves in bright colour on grey shading.
Full body Japanese bodysuit tattoo
Black and grey Japanese style tattoo of an oni demon mask with koi fish and clouds covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Oni mask and koi on upper arm and shoulder
Colourful Japanese style octopus tattoo with grey waves and green tentacles across the upper arm and shoulder.
Octopus and waves on an upper arm
Neo-traditional tattoo of a black crow with green and pale leaves across a man's chest, shoulder and upper arm.
Black crow and leaves on chest and shoulder
Black and grey pencil drawing of a Japanese style peony and scroll sleeve tattoo design for the upper arm, shown from back, side and front.
Peony and scroll sleeve design, three views
Black line-work Japanese-style dragon with cherry blossoms wrapping around the upper arm and shoulder, shown without shading or colour.
Dragon and cherry blossoms on upper arm
Black and grey Japanese style sleeve tattoo with an oni mask, dragon and skulls on a man's forearm, beside a woman with floral tattoos on her upper arm.
Japanese sleeve with oni mask and skulls
Colour traditional Japanese maneki-neko lucky cat tattoo with a gold coin, shown on the arm.
Maneki-neko lucky cat on the arm
Black and grey Japanese-style wave tattoo covering the upper arm and shoulder of a man in a grey vest top.
Japanese wave design on upper arm and shoulder
Black and grey back tattoo of a winged angel, clouds and smoke on the shoulder blades, with script panels and sleeve work on the upper arms.
Winged angel and clouds across a back
Japanese style colour tattoo of a black cat and a green dragon among waves, covering the upper arm and shoulder, shown in a close-up alongside a detail view.
Cat and green dragon on an upper arm
Front and back views of a full body Japanese style tattoo with a large orange koi, cherry blossoms and grey waves across the back, arms, torso and legs.
Full body Japanese irezumi with koi and cherry blossom
Colour tattoo of red cherry blossom branches wrapping over a man's shoulder and upper arm, in a Japanese style.
Cherry blossom branches on shoulder and upper arm
Colour tattoo of Hello Kitty in a red kimono holding a fan, surrounded by pink flowers, in Japanese style on an upper arm and shoulder.
Hello Kitty in kimono on upper arm
Three angles of a full sleeve tattoo of a samurai in a menpo mask and kabuto helmet beside a horse, in Japanese style on the upper arm and shoulder.
Samurai and horse sleeve on upper arm
Black and red tattoo of an owl perched on a branch with cherry blossoms, on the upper arm of a person wearing a grey hooded top.
Owl and cherry blossom on an upper arm
Black linework tattoo on an upper arm showing a smiling maneki-neko cat above a ramen bowl with chopsticks, kawaii sushi characters and floral patterns.
Maneki-neko cat with ramen and sushi on upper arm
Large black and grey Japanese style blackwork octopus tattoo spreading across a person's back and upper arm, with scaled skin and sucker detail on the tentacles.
Octopus tattoo across a back
Shirtless man with light hair covering his face with both hands, showing a black and grey Japanese-style sleeve on one arm and a blackwork tree line on the other arm.
Man with tattooed arms, hands over face
Close view of a colourful Japanese-style tattoo with a crane, cherry blossoms and a bearded robed figure across the ribs, with a mask on the upper arm.
Japanese-style tattoo with crane and robed figure
Black and grey upper arm sleeve with red cherry blossoms, a shaded skull and a pocket watch, in a Japanese style.
Cherry blossom and skull sleeve on upper arm
Colour Japanese style full sleeve tattoo of koi fish, waves and cherry blossom covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Koi and wave full sleeve
Colour tattoo sleeve of red and pink peonies with green leaves on a dark background, covering the upper arm and shoulder of a woman in a black vest top.
Peony sleeve on upper arm and shoulder