from: Andi F.to: tiangotlost@gmail.comdate: Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 11:31 AMsubject: Kanji translationsHey there! I totally LOVE your blog!ok, so I have 2 different Kanji tattoos. I researched them myself, and was after the Japanese meanings of the characters. I didn't trust a tattoo shop book for either one. The fire/Ice tattoo is supposed to me "to be devoted". The kanji is composed out of the negative space. I was after a verb form, and I am most worried about this one.Tell me I did it right!! Otherwise, back to the needle I go!Thanks,A
Granted this tattoo intended to be read from Japanese perspective, but
沒頭 literally means "no head" in Chinese, in other words "lack of common sense".
Alan has the following to add:
The tattoo is evidently
没頭る, which appears to be a "slangy" way of writing the Japanese verb "hamaru" which in itself is a slang way to say "be a fan of," "be absorbed in" or maybe "be devoted to" something like a rock band or a manga or some other pop culture phenomenon.
Originally, the verb hamaru was written
嵌る or
填る (or sometimes
ハマる), but evidently due to the influence of the noun
没頭 [bottō], which means "devotion to" or "absorption in" something, people started writing the word like
没頭る but still pronouncing it hamaru. Perhaps one reason why people started writing the word with these new characters is because both of the old ones
嵌 and
填 were removed from common use in Japanese.
This use of different characters to write words is called
当て字 (ateji) in Japanese. These
当て字 can be used on a whim and there are no particular rules except what becomes popular.
Without common sense, indeed!
I striped this pickup for a friend. I decided to use green to match the interior color. I laid it out all over the interior also. I always like finding stripes on the inside where they're usually hidden unless you know they are there.
I accidentally wandered into the backstage area where a live outdoor theatre performance was being held. I didn't even know why these people were dressed in 40's attire, but I got off a few photos before I was kicked out. This pic is my favorite because the woman to the far left is holding a magazine that reads "I love bacteria"
This last photo was taken just after I was kicked out of the backstage area where the actors were. I actually wandered onto the far rear of the stage set and took this pic a moment before I was grabbed by a stage hand and directed out of the scene. I like this photo because it looks like two people are about to be abducted by an UFO.
Realizing that I hadn't done very much this summer except work on art and tattoo, I decided to take a late summer holiday trip while the weather was still beautiful. I brought my posse of hermit crabs with me and headed for the beach among other destinations...
The above photo was taken at the Norfolk Museum of Modern Art. Photography was not allowed but I got off a few pics with my cell phone...
...this stained glass piece was huge, and very beautiful...
...some of the sculptures there were amazing, and these photos will serve for great black and gray tattoo reference...
...ninja platter...
...and another sculpture that had me in awe.
A good friend and I went to a Thrill Kill Kult show.
This is a self portrait taken with my celly at Six Flags.
This badass dimensional sign welcomed riders to the Possessed roller coaster at Dorney Amusement Park.
This hallway is located in the Virginia Beach Aquarium.
Zoltar knows...
I've just returned from my late summer vacation to find a package full of badass stickers and stuff from artist Jon Chase at DSTROYR clothing! I have been a big fan of the art and clothing he's creating for a while. What I really appreciate about his designs is that they have a unique style all their own. They're striking and simple, usually in black and white, and convey attitude and movement very effectively. I also admire the fact that his designs don't follow the same path as most other clothing brands where old english lettering and overused filigree is used to no end. While other popular clothing brands are starving for new ideas or reverting back to played out styles, DSTROYR is killing it with some of the best graphics out! 
