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Tattoo Meaning

Dragon Tattoo Meaning: Japanese Irezumi Ryū, Chinese Long, Welsh Red Dragon, Western Fantasy

Dragon tattoo meaning: Japanese irezumi ryū traditions, Chinese long imperial imagery, Welsh Y Ddraig Goch national identity, Western fantasy dragons.

Published

Woodcut by Albrecht Dürer depicting the Archangel Michael battling a multi-headed dragon, 1498.
Dürer's Saint Michael Fighting the Dragon (1498). Dragon tattoos divide between the Western tradition (serpentine, destructive, Revelation-derived) and the East Asian tradition (ryū or lóng — benevolent, cloud-and-rain-controlling, imperial). Japanese irezumi dragons descend from the Chinese lóng tradition through Edo-period woodblock prints. Albrecht Dürer, Saint Michael Fighting the Dragon (1498). NGA, Washington. CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Dragon tattoos split sharply by cultural register. Japanese irezumi ryū (龍) body-suit designs draw on Utagawa Kuniyoshi's 1827–30 '108 Heroes of the Suikoden' woodblock prints. Chinese long imperial imagery: five-clawed emperor, four-clawed nobles, three-clawed higher commoners. Welsh Y Ddraig Goch is national-identity. Western fantasy dragons (Tolkien, Beowulf, Fáfnir) are the fire-breathing hoard-guarder tradition. See our dragon spirit-animal page.

Dragon tattoos span several cultural registers. See our dragon spirit-animal page.

See the full spirit-animal meaning: Dragon Spirit Animal .

Frequently asked

What does a dragon tattoo mean?
Depends which dragon. Japanese ryū = strength, wisdom, water. Chinese long = imperial sovereignty, rain-bringing. Welsh Y Ddraig Goch = national identity. Western fantasy dragon = power and hoard. See our dragon page.

Sources

  1. REFERENCEOur dragon spirit-animal page
  2. PEER-REVIEWEDTakahiro Kitamura, Tattoos of the Floating World — Hotei, 2003.