Tattoo (TCG)

A tattoo was a cosmetic body alteration made by needling ink subdermally. Some members of the Dragon Clan had the ability to create magic tattoos that allowed their bearers to use special abilities. The most famous tattoos came from the ise zumi. The unique power of these tattoos came from the blessed ink itself, the blood of the Kami Togashi, contained in a nemuranai vial that never run dry.

Tattoos of the Dragon Clan

Togashi tattooes took the shape of animals and natural phenomena, reflecting revelations they had gained into the nature of the universe, themselves, and the falsehood of the division between the two. Each of these tattoos was unique, and the form each takes had personal meaning to them in their quest for Enlightenment. To be tattooed for first time was the gempuku ceremony of the ise zumi. A taxing process, the bearer had to sleep, with a novice beside them who sat vigil for. After the ise zumi awoke, they had to care their tatttoed flesh until it fully healed. All full monks had at least two tattoos, and the number of tattoos a monk possessed was a kind of seniority. Ise zumi wear light clothing and simple fabrics as a necessity to unleash the full power of their tattoos, so they had to endure themselves as novices for streghtening their bodies, so they would not need armor or warm heavy clothing which would interfere with their tattoos.

• Bat Tattoo
• Butterfly Tattoo
• Catfish Tattoo
• Centipede Tattoo
• Cloud Tattoo
• Crab Tattoo
• Crow Tattoo
• Dragon Tattoo
• Dragonfly Tattoo
• Fern Tattoo
• Hawk Tattoo
• Knot Tattoo
• Lotus Tattoo
• Monkey Tattoo
• Mountain Tattoo
• Phoenix Tattoo
• River Tattoo
• Snake Tattoo
• Spider Tattoo
• Tiger Tattoo
• Vine Tattoo
• Volcano Tattoo

Crane Tattoos

A Crane Tattoo

One tradition among the Iron Crane military units was to tattoo the image of a crane on the wrist or forearm, so as to proudly wear one's identity as a warrior. Some Daidoji continued to add tattoos as they aged, each addition representative of a victory or hardship. This was considered a rite of passage within the Iron Crane. It was common for close friends to be tattooed in tandem with a design that was only completed when they clasped hands.

Phoenix Tattoos

The Asako Inquisitors bore an unblinking human eye tattooed in the palm before they began certain missions. The tattoo used to fade quickly, and it was necessary to carve it again before any new mission.

Other Tattoos

Mantis sailors also bore tattos, and firefighters of the City of Remembrance imprinted their entire bodies.

See also

• Kakushibori

References

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Tattoo. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with L5r: Legend of the Five Rings Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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