Water sleeve

My first piece on my tattoo journey will be what I have been calling my "water sleeve".  I decided that I wanted to use the traditional style of Irezumi, but also incorporate some personal elements.  My water sleeve is also serving as a memorial tattoo.

I had a very unexpected miscarriage in July of 2010, and I have reason to believe I was carrying twins.  It was a pretty devastating experience and I found solace in a very interesting place.  At the time I was working at a pet store that had pretty well stocked aquatic department.  When I returned to work, I found myself calmed by watching the butterfly koi we had there. (I used to get anxiety attacks pretty easily in the weeks after the miscarriage.)  Because of their calming affect and their beauty I decided to incorporate butterfly koi into my water sleeve and let them serve as a memorial to the events in July.

Butterfly or longfin koi

Koi are traditionally used in Japanese Tattoo/Irezumi because they represent perseverance in adversity and the ability to overcome obstacles.  There is a Japanese legend stating that if a koi was able to swim up the Yellow River to a point called The Dragon Gate, the koi would then be transformed into a dragon.  This is one of the reasons koi are typically tattooed swimming up the body versus down.

Another aspect of my water sleeve will be the incorporation of peonies.  They are my absolute favorite flower and I had a bouquet of them for my wedding.

My bouquet of peonies.

Traditionally the peony represents wealth, prosperity, and good fortune in both Japan and China.  In tattoo, it is usually paired with lions, to help balance the ferocity of the lion with its delicate nature.  In Japanese tattoo specifically, it represents a "devil-may-care" attitude towards life.  It is also a reminder of our fleeting and fragile existence.  I chose the peony for my tattoo because of the personal link it has in my life and also its delicate timeless beauty.

I am also incorporating the traditional wave depicted in Irezumi, but I have found some non-traditional sources for my ideas.  I have done a ton of research and found various pieces of old artwork to use as inspiration.  I think this is one of the reasons my artist Mark is so excited to work on my sleeve.  Instead of using other tattoos as reference, a lot of my material is actual art work.  Here are a couple of the "wave" pieces I love.

I will be posting more as the tattooing day approaches.  I can hardly wait!