Tattooing has been a Eurasian practice at least since Neolithic times. Otzi the Iceman, dating from the fourth to fifth millennium BCE, was found in the Ötz valley in the Alps and had approximately 57 carbon tattoos consisting of simple dots and lines on his lower spine, behind his left knee, and on his right ankle. Other mummies bearing tattoos and dating from the end of the second millennium BCE have been discovered at Pazyryk Tattooed...
There are many types of tattoo designs, which can be sorted into major categories such as black and grey tattoos, biomechanical tattoos, new school tattoos, Japanese, tribal, Celtic, and many others.
Within these categories, the subject matter often follows various subjects, eg. Koi with Japanese tattooing, or cards, flames, dice, and swallows in New School Tattooing. Any image can be tattooed in the 'Japanese', 'New School' 'Tribal'...
The Japanese characters, known as Kanji, are derived from The Chinese Characters|Chinese Character system, and have become a very popular design for tattoos across the world.
Here are some common Kanji Characters