Talk to me through whatsapp!
In Japan, as in other parts of the East and the world, the Kingyo (goldfish) symbolizes prosperity and abundance. In traditional Japanese tattooing, they are usually depicted in red or black. Red goldfish bring good luck, while black goldfish ward off bad luck.
This pair of fish is quite special. In addition to bringing in itself all the symbolism related to kingyo, it carries another meaning that for more experienced eyes accustomed to Japanese aesthetics may be obvious, but that for most Westerners goes unnoticed.
At first you don't notice anything strange, and if you don't look closely, you don't see it. The red fish above has a vagina on its belly and the black fish has a head shaped like a glans.
This small drawing is inspired by the style shunga (春画) literally "spring images", "spring" being a common metaphor for sexual intercourse among the Japanese.
The idea of mixing animals with human sexual organs became popular with the emergence of this genre of visual production in Japan between the 17th and 20th century.
Currently there is also a demand for erotic or pornographic drawings for tattoos, some of them have a quite obvious message and others are more subtle and ambiguous, although they carry a great sexual charge. This is the case of this illustration, which at first glance gives the impression that it is simply two ordinary goldfish.
