#tigers are often depicted alongside bamboo to reinforce the symbolism of strength & power; figured i might as well

[kenzan-kiwami]

finished the linework for my kashiwagi tattoo design idea :weary:

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#kashiwagi osamu #ryu ga gotoku #rgg #art #irezumi #tattoo design #to explain my thought process #first of all i mean. utabori is a given right. #second: the panther/bamboo #like i say i love the hou-ou designs a lot but they just don't feel right to me idk #like that's akiyama's symbol #panthers are said to embody strength; protection; cleverness; grace; rebirth #tigers are often depicted alongside bamboo to reinforce the symbolism of strength & power; figured i might as well #third: the crane #cranes can represent many things including loyalty/fidelity; long life; family and success; they're also considered to be very strong birds #also it's just a pretty subject matter for a pretty man (biased) #lastly. the oni #mooooostly for the RGGO beat where the guy calls him oni kashiwa #but it along with the panther i like to think represent how hot-blooded kashiwagi was in his younger days when he would have had these inke #artists often depict flames alongside oni and i needed something to fill the space and kinda tie it together & here we are #and that's pretty much it i guess #maybe once i colour it i'll add some of those swirls to bring it together a bit more #will be something to decide once the panther's blocked in tho cause it'd be a LOT of black #also this is a back/shoulders/upper arms piece because #as attractive as a full body suit is #i'm lookin at other ink from the dojima/kazama families and they all mostly seem to just have upper body coverage #and i enjoy consistency