Traditional japanese sleeve tattoos make up a large part of the oldest pictorial form of tattooing in the world, which is the japanese tattoo. This was the tradition that established the sleeve tattoo, in which a portion of the arm is completely covered with tattooing. The sheer amount of tattooing contained in a sleeve is over the top and goes all in, full force and full throttle, and these aspects of the japanese sleeve tattoo draw us, as American tattoo collectors, to it. Correctly applied, we use it in its traditional form, preserving its power, but for our own purposes, advancing our American concerns, hopes, and statements of intent as we do so.
Japanese sleeve tattoos are designed with careful attention to the flow and composition of the overall artwork. The tattoo artist considers the natural contours of the body to create a harmonious and balanced design.
Japanese sleeve tattoos are meant to be applied in pairs, to the right and left sides of the body in tandem. They totally cover a specific portion of the arms, and come in three possible lengths: the half sleeve, the three quarter sleeve, and the japanese full sleeve tattoo. Like Japan itself, these tattoos have strong borders and a definite beginning and end, and everything in between is tattooed completely.
The Japanese sleeve tattoo can be applied to one arm at a time. However, the tradition of japanese tattooing is to see, organize, and tattoo the body as one whole made up out of pairs. Tattooed sleeves have a great effect when tattooed in this way, and the whole gains far greater than the sum of the two sides when this strategy is employed.
Japanese sleeve tattoos work together to create a dynamic relationship between the arms. The same motif will be used on each arm, but treated in such a way as to create a sort of tension that serves to set the tattoos in motion. Classic motifs for japanese sleeves include animals such as dragons, koi, and tigers that represent power and strength, the natural beauty of the japanese flower such as the cherry blossom that symbolizes the human condition, and folk warriors and heroes who carry the ultimate meaning of both the American as well as the japanese tattoo, which is power.
These animals, flowers, and heroes are set against a background of an elemental world comprised of wind, wave, and cloud, again representing the ultimate power of nature. Each part of the japanese tattoo design works in accord with the other, ever increasing in power, creating great cohesion and layers of meaning.
