Tattoo Designs - Kanji Strength Tattoos By William Burnell

Kanji can express in one or two symbols a thought, an idea, a philosophy. There are Kanji symbols for a number of things that could stand for strength:

Strength
Courage
Honour
Power
Samurai
There are many more that could mean strength to an individual - each person has to select the symbol that gives them strength.

The Bushido Code

A Japanese symbol links us to Japanese history and culture, in which the Samurai played an important part. The Samurai followed the Bushido code of loyalty, courage, honesty, honour and compassion. The Samurai warrior was heavily influenced by Zen Buddhism, which meant he not only aspired to noble ideals and aspirations but sought self-awareness and spiritual strength. He strove for balance. He was aware that the battle is always over oneself and that it is often the hardest fight of all. The Samurai have long gone but the qualities they practised are still needed in our lives.

Nothing has changed; human nature is still the same. Whatever we want to achieve usually requires discipline and courage. The more we exercise these qualities the stronger we become. Most of us want to be honourable and to act with honesty and kindness to others. We want to be loyal to our friends, our beliefs or our principles. We also want to be well-rounded people, to be balanced. The ideal is to be strong enough to keep ourselves on track but also to have the strength and compassion to help others in their struggle. This is real strength and the Samurai knew this.

Our inner strength

Kanji strength tattoos help us in our aspirations to be better than we are - to strive to grow and to lift ourselves above the day-to-day obstacles and setbacks. This means we have to take charge of our lives, our emotions, our desires and direct them in the way we want to go and use them to become the people we want to be. The real strength comes from within us. A Kanji symbol simply reminds us to tap into our inner strength, which was there all the time.

A Kanji strength tattoo may be all you need to remind you to be strong. It can remind you in an artistic and exotic way. It could be a declaration to the world and yourself that you are strong: a reminder to act with strength, to keep your resolve, to call on your inner strength when you need it most