101 Best Traditional Japanese Snake Tattoo Ideas That Will Blow Your Mind!

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Are you fascinated by Japanese tattoos? Snake being a common tattoo element, here are the top ten traditional Japanese snake tattoo designs for you.

When you are planning to get a tattoo, you struggle to find the best tattoo design that suits your personality and character.

Indeed, there are millions of tattoo ideas that make it a bit difficult for you to pick just one. How about getting some mysterious Japanese snake tattoo?

On the one hand, snakes are believed to be associated with death, lousy omen, or bad luck. On the other hand, these notorious creatures are fantastic tattoo designs that people opt for these days. However, from time immemorial, snakes have been associated with a variety of cultures and depict less sinister connotations. There are some cultures, that revere snakes for their wisdom, while in Japanese culture, people worship them as goddesses. Often, these slithery creatures are used as the elements of tattooing as they represent a deeper meaning. These in-depth meanings associated with the snake tattoos have made them popular over the years.

Throughout history, snakes have been used in different contexts. In general, snakes are said to be connected to the ideas of power and rebirth. However, the meanings of these snake tattoos depend on the culture. Therefore, different cultures have different snake tattoo meanings. In Native American and African cultures, snakes are associated with lightning and rain. On the other hand, in Buddhism, snakes are used as a symbol of protection. According to the Japanese culture, snake tattoos stand for protection against evil or bad omen. This theory dates back to a time when people in Japan would believe that encountering a white snake brings good fortune and that meeting a dead snake means evil. A traditional Japanese tattoo conveys the ideas of spirituality or protection through various mythological characters or natural elements of nature.

If you take a close look at the characteristics of a snake, you will notice that they shed their old skin and allow their body to heal and develop new skin. This change itself can be linked with the motifs of rebirth and transformation. Therefore, the feature of snakes shedding their skin, healing, and getting a new one resonates with people, especially those who are starting a new chapter in their life or those who are part of new beginnings.

The traditional Japanese tattoos are truly fascinating. Keeping in mind the variety of meanings that Japanese snake tattoos possess, let us take a look at the top ten Japanese snake tattoos as given below.

Japanese Snake Tattoo Ideas on Shoulder

Japanese tattoo art is one of the most popular designs in the tattooing industry. To do justice to the Japanese tattoos, here is a traditional snake tattoo that has been inked on the shoulder. If you carefully look at the tattoo, you will find an element of mystery. The head of the snake looks like it has just appeared from the collar bone.

Here is another Japanese snake tattoo where the image of the tattoo is mainly the skeleton of a snake. The Japanese snake tattoo meanings depend revolve around protection. However, according to Japanese religion, the snake is said to be an avatar of the Goddess Benzaiten.

Forearm Japanese Snake Tattoo Ideas

If you are looking for a realistic snake tattoo design that is closely linked to the ideas of eliminating evil spirits and very bad omens, this is it. Here, the snake is inked in the form of a cobra tattoo design, a venomous snake, that represents the true Japanese style of tattooing. However, sometimes, the tattoo artists prefer adding some colors to these mythical creatures.

This is another Japanese snake tattoo that adorns the forearm of the wearer. Such Japanese snake tattoo ideas are inspired by the prison tattoos that were mostly used by the goons and thugs. Back then, thugs used to get such traditional snake tattoos inked on their bodies as a sign of protection against untoward situations.

Japanese Traditional Snake Tattoo in Bold Black Ink

You might come across several snake tattoo designs, but the Japanese traditional tattoos with snake designs hit differently. This snake tattoo is inked in such a manner that it looks more like a bracelet. The way the tattoo artist inks the tattoo is surely an inspiration for many. To bring some changes to this traditional Japanese tattoo snake, some pop colors can be added.

Here is another Japanese traditional tattoo snake, inked with a lot of precision. The scales of the snake are inked accurately by the artist. While inking snake tattoos, the tattoo artists suggest sticking to the black and grey ink. For bold lines, black ink should be used, while shading can be done with grey.

Floral Japanese Snake Tattoos in Black

Are you looking for some realistic snake tattoos? Here is one for you. Indeed, the snake tattoo design does not look as feminine as a butterfly tattoo. Honestly, it looks a little rough. However, if you want to give your snake tattoos a feminine appearance, add some floral designs to them as shown here.

Japanese snake tattoos are in themselves charming enough to draw the attention of the people. But to beautify them, tattoo artists prefer adding some fun elements. Here, the flowers in the body art are presented in such a way that it appears as if the snake is peeping through them. This adds to their aesthetics.

Full Body Japanese Snake Tattoo Designs

Each Japanese tattoo design and similar body art has its own aesthetics. This is one of those full-body tattoos that is sure to look amazing when you stand bare-bodied. The snake tattoo design in this image is inked all over the body of the wearer. The tail of the snake in this Japanese snake tattoo is made to flow all across the body of the wearer.

Of all Japanese snake tattoo ideas, here is one more snake tattoo that the artist has inked all over the body of the wearer. The way the tattoo design is let to flow all over the body gives the wearer a sturdiness in his appearance. Like snake tattoos, similar to this, many Japanese tattoos can be inked all over the body.

Small Japanese snake tattoo design

Here is a small snake tattoo design that will suit women. Since this is a small one, it can be a great back tattoo or ankle tattoo. Such mythological creatures have deep meaning associated with them. Not just in the western world, snakes are linked to Indian mythology as well. So, if you are a believer in Indian mythology, snake tattoos are a great option for you.

Colorful Japanese snake tattoos

Not all prefer tattoos in black and grey ink. If you are looking for a colorful snake tattoo, this pink snake tattoo is suitable for you. The placement of the tattoo is also important as that determines the level of beauty and cuteness. The color and the blue flower added to this cute Japanese snake is sure to make people go ‘aww’ for it.

This is another colorful snake tattoo inked in black and purple. To make the snake look cute and a little bit soft, blue flowers are added to the back of the snake. The double-headed snakes are noticed in the Aztec culture which means that the snake can take its generation forward by multiplying. This is a sign of rebirth and renewal.

Fine Line Minimal Snake Tattoo

Not all people prefer gigantic snake tattoos. For those who want to get a snake tattoo that looks small yet aesthetically pleasing, here is a red snake tattoo for you. This is a fine line tattoo which means, the artist has used a single needle to ink it.

Here is another Japanese snake tattoo inked in fine lines. The tattoo has maintain the connotation that ancient Japan had for snakes. The fines lines of the tattoo make the design more prominent.

Snake Tattoo With Human Face

To make the Japanese snake tattoo more interesting, get a snake tattoo with a human face as shown here. The snake in this tattoo constitutes the hair of the woman’s face.

Are you looking for some great tattoos? Here is another snake tattoo that has some more elements added to make it appear interesting. It has a baby’s face and some flowers to make it look cute.

Snake Tattoo With Skull

Do you prefer a skull tattoo? How about merging a skull tattoo with a Japanese snake tattoo? Well, that is sure to look great, provided it is done well as shown here.

Here is another Japanese snake tattoo with a human skull merged with it. The Japanese snake in this tattoo is made to come out from the mouth of the skull, thereby giving an eerie appearance to the tattoo.

Snake tattoos look amazing if they are done accurately. When getting a tattoo, make sure to pay attention to the placement of the tattoo along with the colors to be used. Since each color has a meaning attached to it, picking the right colors is a must. Get the best snake tattoo and flaunt it to make people go gaga over it.

Here are some suggestions for you:

• Japanese snake tattoo on leg
• Snake tattoo with blue roses
• Simple snake tattoo on neck
• Snake skeleton tattoo on back
• Gucci snake tattoo on wrist
• Circular snake eating itself tattoo
• Two-headed snake tattoo
• Bracelet-like snap wrap-around tattoo
• Snake finger tattoo

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