What Style Tattoo Is This?

[agsnowdon]

Hi

Whilst getting a tattoo in England last year the tattoo artist showed my he had 2 Buddha’s on his chest but they looked like a dot to dot but you didn't need to draw the lines as the images were already visible.

I asked how it was done and he said a Thai guy in London did it for him using a long needle not your normal tattoo gun/pen. He also said that he had his tattoo blessed at the same time.

This reminded me of when Angelina Jolie got her tattoo done in Bangkok. I think her style was similar to my tattoo artists IE using the long needle and it just being dots not lines.

I looked on the net to see Angelina’s tattoo and it shows her getting it done and using a long needle but her tattoo looked filled in and looked like it had lines not dots (the pics I found were good but you couldn't see a lot of detail)

I have been tattooed before and would like to get a tattoo done in this style but not sure what this style is called and much details about this style, so here’s a few questions you might be able to help with.

1. What's the name for this style of tattoo?

2. Anyone had any experience with this style tattoo?

3. Anyone care to post some good close ups of Angelina’s tattoo (the tiger one) or tattoos done in this dot style I’d be interested to see. I would post some but as on dial up it will take forever.

4. My Thai girlfriend is also looking into this where I could get one but maybe TV can help to. We live in Chiang Mai so it would have to be in this area and I'd also like it blessed not just done by any old tattoo artist although open to any information!

Hope you can help.

Cheers

Ash

[ColPyat]

They are traditional tattoos of Thailand, Cambodia, Burma and many of many regional ethnic minorities. They have religious meanings, are charms and protections. Every symbol has specific meanings. They are done by ordained monks, their lay followers, and other tattoo teachers (ordained monks are not allowed to tattoo women).

They hurt far more than machine tattoos (half my back is covered in them).

Be careful that they are done in a somewhat sterile way.

Nowadays the most famous place for westerners getting these tattoos is Wat Bang Pa in Nakhorn Pathom province, by the followers of the now deceased Luang Por Poen.

Edited May 11, 2006 by ColPyat

[agsnowdon]

They hurt far more than machine tattoos (half my back is covered in them).

Be careful that they are done in a somewhat sterile way.

Nowadays the most famous place for westerners getting these tattoos is Wat Bang Pa in Nakhorn Pathom province, by the followers of the now deceased Luang Por Poen.

Hey ColPyat

Cheers for that reply would you care to post a few of you tattoos for me to have a look at?

Yes will make sure it is sterile. Thats a must.

Wat Bang Pa in Nakhorn Pathom province is a bit far for me any ideas for Chiang Mai?

Thats for you post!

[iamguava]

Hi

The style of tattoo is called Sak Yan (สักยันต์) and are often worn as "protection tattoos"

Sorry, cant help at the moment with any temples around Chiang Mai that offer these tattoos but I will check and post again when I get home.

The method of tattooing (traditional spike or modern gun) are not really thought as important to the effectiveness of the protection as the style, Pali Sanskrit prayer or "Yantra" that is a part of the design along with the blessing given at the time. The tattoos are often re-blessed at a later date too.

You will see many Thai men in dangerous occupations wearing these (Police, soldiers, fisherman etc) along with gangsters

I do have Sak Yan myself but do not fall into any of the above categories

[tariq]

Hi Ash

I've had 2 done in Thailand. One was in a normal tattoo studio and the more recent was done in a temple in Trat (probably too far far you but I know there will be other temples in LOS that will do them but you may have to get there early because of queues) about 3 weeks ago using the needle on the end of a stick. I understand the designs to be called Sakyant and they're protection symbols believed to protect you from certain things like stabbings etc depending on the design.

They didn't hurt any more than a tattoo with a normal tatoo gun would. The one I got only cost about £5 and it was then blessed by a monk and I had to make a promise that I would never eat elephant.

You'll probably be able to pick up a few designs or pics at www.sakyant.com. I've tried posting a pic of mine but having trouble. If you want too post me a message with your email address I can email it to you.

Cheers

Taz...

[ColPyat]

Hey ColPyat

Cheers for that reply would you care to post a few of you tattoos for me to have a look at?

Yes will make sure it is sterile. Thats a must.

Wat Bang Pa in Nakhorn Pathom province is a bit far for me any ideas for Chiang Mai?

Thats for you post!

Just type into google "Thai Tattoos" or a similar search term, and you'll get many pictures.

Most definately in Chiang Mai area there are many temples and tattoo teachers, just ask in any temple if they can refer you to one.

[Maejo Man]

Commonly refered to as "temple tats" by the local farang populace, and in the past were often religious motifs, Thai characters, and mythical animals. These were "administered" by monks using a sharp piece of wood dipped in ink. Quite a painful process, and worn with pride, as the tattoos had deep religious significance. Tattoos are still performed in a similar fashion, in temples, but with the use of stainless steel needles. Many of the older generation of Thai men who have been in the monkhood at one time sport these type of tattoos.

[bkkmadness]

it was then blessed by a monk and I had to make a promise that I would never eat elephant.

Have you found that a hard promise to keep?

[tariq]

Have you found that a hard promise to keep?

Well now I'm back in London I've been able to resist the temptation but I find myself strangely wanting to go to London Zoo around breakfast, lunch and dinner time.... weird!?

Heh heh..

I had to hold up a really heavy big bowl of fruit and flowers above my head as I was making this promise. The monk was reciting in Thai and the girls I was with were trying to translate into English...their English wasn't that good so by the time they finished squabbling witrh each other as to how to translate into english I thought I was going to drop the bowl.. the sweat was pouring out of me as I was smiling politely at the monk..

[agsnowdon]

Hi

The style of tattoo is called Sak Yan (สักยันต์) and are often worn as "protection tattoos"

Sorry, cant help at the moment with any temples around Chiang Mai that offer these tattoos but I will check and post again when I get home.

I would be very thankfull for your help!

Just for an update I'm after a Sak Yan done using a long stick and needle and also would like it to be about a 15cm x 15cm.

I was thinking of getting a buddha and then some blessing text beneath it. Is this layout possible?

Cheers everyone

[ColPyat]

I was thinking of getting a buddha and then some blessing text beneath it. Is this layout possible?

Cheers everyone

Buddhas are not tattooed here. There are different figures, such as a monkey, or hanuman, tigers or other fable figures. Every figure though has a specific meaning and power. Hanuman for example is said to be very difficult to control and not given out freely. In addition to that are spells and graphic symbols.

What basically happens is that the tattoo teacher will discuss with you what powers or protection in particular you want, and he will tell you what you need, and on which place of the body this will have be tattooed.

The tattoos here are not just for decoration purposes. It can happen, such as happened with my first tattoo, that their powers are tested by, for example striking you with a very sharp sword to test the protection. What happened to me...

[agsnowdon]

If you could picture the below layout as my back...

As you can see every tattoo is symmetrical and i was hoping to get my Sak Yan in-between my name in Thai and the old English writing tattoo so everything is symmetrical.

(the dots represent blank space I had to put them in to keep everything in posistion)

Top lower neck middle.....................oooooo..................................(tattoo of dragon)

........................................................oooooo

........................................................oooooo

........................................................oooooo

..................................................MY NAME IN THAI

Bottom of back...............####OLD ENGLISH WRITNG####

As ColPyat says which I believe to be true the monk will decide the posistion of the sak yan, does anyone have any views on position and Sak Yan's

Do you think it would be possible to get the Sak Yan in the position I would like?

Also do Sak Yans use templates like a normal tattoo?

Cheers everyone

Edited May 11, 2006 by agsnowdon

[ColPyat]

In the Buddhism forum there was recently a thread dealing also with Thai tattoos.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...pic=27530&st=15

Two posts i made there:

When i got my first Thai tattoo about 13 years ago, and didn't know anything, a monk came out with a nice old sword. I though it was a bit strange that the bloke shows me a sword. The next thing i know is that he hit me right across the back, then put the edge on the side of my back where i was able to see it, and slashed right through. It felt as if it cut right through, hurt like hel_l. The only thing though was a two red welts where the sword hit.

The next tattoos i got i made sure that it was only charms that don't need to be tested for efficiency with a sword.

And nops, i will not have it tested again, i definately have broken some of the rules, and got stabbed some time afterwards, and slashed as well, and it did bleed. And i will also not have it "reloaded" - it might work, but i don't feel like having a heartattack from having it tested again. It might not have cut me when i was tested, but the pain was definately there, and very intense.

I don't know enough to answer all those questions properly.

But yes, they all have different meanings. Simple charms, protections against all sort of things, aggressive tattoos, and black magic that only very few masters dare to touch.

The body parts are important. As far as i know, charms and defensive tattoos are mostly put on the upper body, while agresseive tattoos are generally put on the lower body. Monks generally only do defensive tattoos, while lay teachers do whatever they see fit.

The power of the tattoo is not the tattoo itself, but the tattoo has to be activated with spell as well in a short ceremony after the tattoo is finished. Many tattoos have different strengths. Charms are generally very unproblematic, not too many rules have to be observed. Considered very strong and potentially harmful for the carrier is for example the Hanuman tattoo, there even alcohol should be avoided as it could activate the tattoo to the extent that the carrier falls in a mad sort of trance. One very interesting tattoo is a dragon on the lower arm, it is considered so strong that only very few teachers dare to do it.

There are other things as well, such as "Fang Muc", in which small glass, or metal parts are embedded under the skin. I think Luang Por Khun puts small silver balls under the skin of the arms of people as protection.

Quite popular are the ones under the foreskin of the penis (and some do here far more weird mutilations of the penis in order to enhance sexual power).

Anyhow, rather intersting, but unfortunately nowadays a tourist and media circus is the yearly big Wai Kru ceremony at Wat Bang Pa, in which the disciples of the now deceased Luang Por Poen gather en masse, and sort of fall into mass trance, the power of their tattoos taking over. Pretty wild stuff.

Every tattoo teacher has a yearly "Wai Kru" ceremony day.

The whole thing may not really have much to do with what many people consider "real buddhism", it nevertheless is a fascinating aspect of the culture here.

Hope that helps.

[agsnowdon]

Hope that helps.

Cheers

[Eastender]

My wife was tatood by the same guy that did Angelina Jolie's with one of the same designs - 5 vertical columns of writing going down the shoulder, in an old language - by hand with a long needle. (She had mutual comedian friends of the tatooist in Bangkok and so got it very cheap).

She's out now but if anyone needs any further info then let me know.

[Johpa]

Commonly refered to as "temple tats" by the local farang populace, and in the past were often religious motifs, Thai characters, and mythical animals. These were "administered" by monks using a sharp piece of wood dipped in ink. Quite a painful process, and worn with pride, as the tattoos had deep religious significance. Tattoos are still performed in a similar fashion, in temples, but with the use of stainless steel needles. Many of the older generation of Thai men who have been in the monkhood at one time sport these type of tattoos.

My father-in-law, now in his 70s, is covered, and I mean coverd, in these tattoos, mostly mystical script (he is illiterate) in older Lanna and K'mu script. Like many into their middle aged and senior years, he does not wear them with any sense of pride and is a bit embarassed about these fading artifacts from his youth. Back in the days, he actually believed these tattoos would protect him from harm. They are common amongst his peers, few of whom have ever been in the Sangha for more than the obligatory 3 months as kids. And my father-in-law never even bothered with the three months as he grew up, and still practices, the older time animism. The neighbors from the nearby Christian village often sneak up to see him when Jesus does not answer their prayers.

So I don't think these are associated with being in the monkhood although they are associated with monks being the ones laying on the tattoos along with the requisite blessings. These tattoos are worn by those who worked in the forests, worked outdoors, or who were in the military which is just about all Thai men in the past subjected to corvee labor. They are there to ward off evil and even protect one from bullets, very similar in nature to the amulets worn by the laity. For those with considerable patience and a background in Southeast Asian academics you can always read Tambiah's tome The Buddhist Saints of the Forest and the Cult of Amulets for a deeper understanding. Altough today, they are worn by the westerners strictly as a cosmetic indulgence.

[iamguava]

Buddhas are not tattooed here

Whilst this is true some of the Sak Yan (or Sak Yant as sometimes written but the final "t" sound would not be pronounced) do contain stylised images representing Buddha and Buddhist teachings. As ColPyat states, others can be characters from Ramakien or other mythological texts, deities from other religions notably Hinduism are also popular. The term really refers to the geometrical ones though, the most common being Gao Yord (a triangular shape usually at the nape of the neck and representing 9 buddha images).

agsnowdon:

There are many images you can choose from, popular ones in the position you indicate would be a leaping tiger, various Hanuman representations as ColyPat already stated, and there is a very popular stylised turtle that is often icorporated into a back design.

Also do Sak Yans use templates like a normal tattoo

Yes, depending on where you go to have the tattoo on the method though. Traditionally they will use like a printing block type device of the design and blacken with soot from a candle. Otherwise they could just as easily transfer the design using a Biro!!!

Altough today, they are worn by the westerners strictly as a cosmetic indulgence

sorry Johpa I would have agreed with this if you had stated - by most westerners as a cosmetic indulgence. In any event if you have already decide to have a "cosmetic indulgence" then why not have one that means something to you and that you have researched.

[agsnowdon]

agsnowdon:

There are many images you can choose from, popular ones in the position you indicate would be a leaping tiger, various Hanuman representations as ColyPat already stated, and there is a very popular stylised turtle that is often icorporated into a back design.

Does anyone know the meaning of sak yans that are leapng tigers and turtles.

I havefound many meanings for other sak yans but not for these 2.

Cheers

[chuchok]

I know it's not Thai related,but here is a tat of a Samoan( Lome Fa'atau) who plays rugby for the Wellington Hurricanes.All done with wooden/bamboo equipment...

[stone cold]

agsnowdon:

There are many images you can choose from, popular ones in the position you indicate would be a leaping tiger, various Hanuman representations as ColyPat already stated, and there is a very popular stylised turtle that is often icorporated into a back design.

Does anyone know the meaning of sak yans that are leapng tigers and turtles.

I havefound many meanings for other sak yans but not for these 2.

Cheers

tiger are a very common yant worn by thai , it command respect, act as a protector to the wearer(preferred by man with a risky life), prevent accident, represent power, the most famous design by present day master is of course the leaping tiger design by Loung Phor Pern of Wat Bang Phra

[spencerdharmagrafix]

They hurt far more than machine tattoos (half my back is covered in them).

Be careful that they are done in a somewhat sterile way.

Nowadays the most famous place for westerners getting these tattoos is Wat Bang Pa in Nakhorn Pathom province, by the followers of the now deceased Luang Por Poen.

Hey ColPyat

Cheers for that reply would you care to post a few of you tattoos for me to have a look at?

Yes will make sure it is sterile. Thats a must.

Wat Bang Pa in Nakhorn Pathom province is a bit far for me any ideas for Chiang Mai?

Thats for you post!

Yes there is a sak yant master in chiang mai

if you go onto the forums on the website that was mentioned in your other post (i am not allowed to mention the link - i have been told off for this so you shall have to work it out yourself)

log in to the "pedia" part of the website and look for a member called tevijjo - he is often in chiang mai and like myself is learning yant magic i am in bkk but he is up in the north so if you pm him you will be able to find out where you can go in chiang mai to recieve one of these tattoos.

otherwise i recommend go to por gae in bangkok at wat tong nai on soi awn nut 25 near the skytrain station.

if you need total sterility then the only place you can go is por gae ruesi at wat tong nai as he is the only master who has agreed to use an autoclave sterilizer that i know of..he only uses it if you wish for this as a special case (he knows farang are afraid of the hygien, so i convinced him to let me use my sterilizer there if i bring farang for a tattoo)

you have to make an appointment for this though so we can prepare the tip for you.

also the tattoo becomes slightly more expensive lets say a gao yord with no hygiene is 99 baht if you do it with the sterilizer and special appointment in private about 1000 baht.

maybe there are other masters with sterile tips but i have still to encounter one.

ajarn noo says he changes the needles but i have seen the sticks be reused many times in one day and they just stick it in a bucket of water between people.

i have been a professional tattooist for over 20 years and trained in cross contamination prevention methods and can say that this isnt enough unless the magic can protect you..up to you if you believe that or not.

i dont look on my message board on this forum as i am busy on my own forums so youll have to contact me through other means if you wish any more info before i return here..i dont come too often.

my mobile number is on my main homepage.

Edited May 11, 2008 by spencerdharmagrafix

[Nignoy]

Just before I left leong nok tha in 1966,, the puyai baan took me to the wat to be blessed, after a short chat I was asked to remove my shirt and lie down,to my amazement 2 monks appeared with ink and some rather long needles, as I already have some tattoos I was not really worried about pain, which soon proved to be very wrong!!I was tattooed rather painfully on each shoulder, a beautiful tiger and garudalike figures, with a blessing and good luck message from the village,now nearly 42 years later, everything is a bit blurred, had to laugh a few years ago while beach fishing in PKK, some young pillock asked me if I was not to old to be following the new fashion craze!! my thai fishing mates who speak good english thought this was hilarious Nignoy