Hawaiian Tattoo Designs - Cool Tattoo Ideas

Aloha! Hawaiian tattoo designs and body arts have a long history of more than a thousand years. But, it wasn't until the 1990's and when celebrities started bearing them, only then these tattoo designs started coming back into fads.

In the Hawaiian culture, getting a tattoo is looked upon as a very important ritual. It was such an important part of their life to the extent that the Hawaiians even pray to a tattoo god each time someone in the community gets a tattoo.

And not so much for fashion purpose or simply to look cool, Hawaiians only get tattoo for a few purposes:

• Mourning For A Loved One - For remembrance of a love one lost
• Talisman For Protection - To protect and ward off evil spirits or enemy
• Personal Identifications - Identify themselves as a community or group

Therefore, most Hawaiian tattoos have a certain meaning or significance behind it.

Comparing to their neighbors from other islands within the Polynesian chain like Maori and Samoan, Hawaiian tattoo designs tend to be larger and bolder in size and colours. Few common Hawaiian tattoo designs are:

• Arrows
• Flowers
• Dolphins
• Lizards (Hawaiians have great respect for lizards)
• Sea Turtle

Besides these traditional tattoo art works, there are the much "cooler" Hawaiian band tattoo designs. The Hawaiian band tattoo design is very popular amongst tattoo lovers today because of the "modern" yet traditional look that it has.

If you want to look for unique and exclusive Hawaiian tattoo art works, go check out my blogs on the hottest and most talked about tattoo galleries online from the link below!

NBA Players Are More Well Known For Their Cool Tattoos

Pro athletes have now set the standard for the ultimate in incredible and amazing tattoo designs. I'm not sure when the transformation happened, but it seems like all the athletes from pro football, pro baseball and especially pro basketball have their entire bodies tattooed with some of the coolest tattoo designs you can think of.

I think pro NBA players are more celebrated for their tattoos because obviously you can see their tattoos better than any other sport because of their uniform. It has become so common to see a NBA player with tattoos on their arms, back, chest and even their neck that it sometimes looks kind of funny when you see someone with bare arms.

Back in the day you would never see someone like Magic Johnson or even Larry Bird with their entire arms and neck area tattooed. It just wasn't something you saw from players in that time period. I always try to make a note when I see someone that doesn't have a tattoo. Some players may have personal reasons for not wanting to deface their bodies like for religious reasons or for their own personal beliefs and some probably just don't want to deal with the pain that goes along with getting a "tatt."

I personally think that it looks kind of cool when basketball players have tattoo designs that are visible on their arms or on their neck. Most players like to represent their home town, their nicknames, cool designs or even their family members and loved ones with their tattoos. That may be why you see more everyday people that are deciding to finally get their first tattoo.

Professional athletes have always been looked at like role models. It's easy to see why so many teenagers and young adults are getting tattoos especially when you're a huge fan of a basketball team and your favorite player is completely tatted down. It's definitely the new way to express yourself and what you're all about. Some of the more popular players that are tattooed are Kobe Bryant, LaBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Mike Bibby, The Bird Man, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenyon Martin, Chauncey Billups, Larry Hughes, Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury.

Cool Tattoo Ideas - 4 Japanese Ideas

When it comes to cool tattoo ideas you can't get much cooler than Japanese. Japanese tattoos can be called irezumi or more correctly horimono and are often very colorful and highly detailed. Getting a good one pretty much guarantees kudos from people due to their exotic origin and great design.

1. Koi - Nishikigoi
Now you may think it odd to have a fish tattooed onto your body but in Japan these fish are considered to be living ornaments and if you see some of them you'd have to agree. These tattoos are often done swirling in a mass of colorful waves.

2. Geisha
Geisha women train from an early age to be perfect entertainers and hosts to their guests. Mastering skills such as music, art, dance and much more over many years. Their style of dress and make up is famous the world over and a traditional geisha tattoo done well can look incredible. The key with geisha is subtlety. Avoid going for something excessive and over the top as you'll be a laughing stock if you have a geisha riding a dragon firing ice arrows.

3. Anime
Anime is everywhere in the US with a never-ending stream of fans and artists. Not only are they cool - they never fall out of fashion. You could get a character designed for you or choose one of the many already in existence. Akira perhaps? Be careful not to choose something too popular though as you'll risk looking like every other anime obsessed fanatic out there. Most tattoo studios have someone capable of producing good quality anime designs from scratch so check out your local studio to get ideas on anime designs.

4. Dragons
One of the most popular forms of tattoos is the Japanese dragon. Which is understandable considering the powerful look of the beasts and the huge range of possibilities available. Green, red, yellow, blue, black and everything in between with great detail throughout. Be sure to research dragon tattoos thoroughly though as certain aspects can have specific meanings. Such as the number of 'fingers' on the claws or the color of the dragon. The last thing you want is a dragon that represents female fertility.