Few images are burdened with the weight, beauty, and narrative richness of the koi fish as the symbol of tattoos. Far beyond an aquatic theme, the koi is a symbol of centuries of endurance, change, and fate. But, to the thinker who takes this mighty icon in his mind, there is always a question that tinges silently, and yet resounds in a very important manner:
Which way should it swim? Whether your koi is an upstream fighter or a downstream glider is not something to do with your artistic preference. Critical dialect is the one that alters the whole story, is impressed upon your skin, and turns the universal symbol into a very personal one.
In order to make sense of this directional language, we have to travel to the origin of the strongest myth about the koi: the Dragon Gate.
The climbing was vicious, the climb apparently impossible. The major part of the fish fled back in dismay at the ruthless charge of the water.
But some of the determined ones would not give. They struggled against the stream with their every scale, against the driving stream. They struggled for a century. The final ordeal they underwent was the waterfall itself, which was a great, straight, white wall of falling water. The koi started leaping without giving up. Once and once they hurled themselves against the rivulet, and were hurled back down.
The gods came to their rescue due to their perseverance. When they were making their final great effort, the sound of the waterfall died away. The waters broke, and the persevering koi passed through the Dragon Gate. In return for their unquenchable spirit, the gods turned each of the koi into a cosmic dragon–the sign of supreme strength, wisdom, and prosperity.
This is the essence of the symbolism of the koi: the ambition achieved by hard perseverance. The koi does not have its destiny bestowed upon it; it takes a century of hard work to get it. This myth is the one that directly instructs the meaning inculcated in each koi tattoo, direction being the clue to the interpretation of its stage in the epic adventure.
The single most significant aspect in stating whether you are in the middle of your fight, or you are celebrating its well-paid fruits, is the direction of your koi tattoo.
A koi that is swimming, going upstream, opposing the current, is a koi that is becoming. This is the insignia of the warrior in the arena.
It is a struggle, active endurance, and the strength to face misfortune directly. It is those who are already describing the grind, struggling, and fighting the present of their lives.
An upstream koi is usually painted in a dynamic motion. It may have water falling around it, its body may be in a strong, muscular S-shape, and its looks may be those of fierce determination. It is formed during the instant of struggle.
A koi that is swimming against the flow, down current, is already successful. This is the tattoo of the sage who has defeated the waterfall.
It is a representation of success, peace in the wake of struggle, and the savoring of the success one has worked hard to attain. It is the symbol of the achieved objectives, the challenges that were surmounted, and the knowledge acquired in the course of experience.
This Tattoo can be read as, I have gone through my Dragon Gate. It is to the one who has on the other side of a tremendous obstacle–the survivor, the successful artist, the retiring businessman, the man who has made his peace after a troubled portfolio. It glides gracefully and with merited ease.
A downstream koi will also tend to have a looser flowing posture. It moves beautifully and impartially without being strained. The waters surrounding it can be still, or they can be painted together with the dragon it has transformed to signify its complete transformation.
A downstream koi does not imply any laziness or passive flow down the stream. Its course suggests a winning stream–the blessing of the stream one gets once the battle up the stream is won. It is a constructive achievement and not a lazy drift.
Direction establishes the narrative frame, but other factors bring personal details of great richness to the story of your koi.
Black Koi: Manhood, patriarchal success, overcoming the odds. Sometimes it is attached to a father figure or a personal triumph.
Red/Orange Koi: Love, passion, strength, and courage. A Japanese motherly image (the matriarch being the higan red koi).
Blue Koi: Masculinity, however, serenity, reproduction, and tranquility, too.
Gold Koi: Prosperity, wealthiness, and plenty of everything (financial, spiritual, family).
White Koi: Fresh start, professional life, and the end of a journey. There is a white koi in the Dragon Gate, which is believed to be a gifted wish.
Koi Butterfly (Long-finned): This is a contemporary, beautiful form that is unique and symbolizes uniqueness, grace, and peace.
A Single Koi
Lays emphasis on the personal life of the individual, his or her struggle or success.
Two Koi (Yin and Yang)
Two koi (male/female, active/passive, struggle/success) are often represented circling around each other as a symbol of harmony, balance, and duality of life. The movement, in this direction, forms a balanced stream of energy.
Koi and Lotus
The lotus blossoms out of dirty water. Combined with a koi, it underpins the motives of a beautiful birth out of conflict.
Koi with Water
Ripples, waves, or a complete waterfall setting is a direct way of depicting the movement that the fish is either struggling with or relishing, and the directional message is much too clear.
This is a lifetime companion tattoo. Then it takes a truthful reflection on its course.
Finally, the heroic fish on your skin is a reflection of the road your soul is going through. A koi tells him, on the upstream, “Go on. The Gate awaits.” An affirmative downstream koi says, You swam, you leaped, you became.
You do not choose just a tattoo, you select your current carefully. You write one of the chapters of your own legend, a lasting proclamation of your location, and an eternal memorial of the eternal beautiful battle of becoming.
An upstream koi is a sign of being in the middle of a battle, a battle against odds. One of the downstream kois is a sign of having been through that, and now you are reaping the benefits, peace, and calm of your hard-won victory.
No. It means success, success that is won–and is, after you conquer your waterfall, a smooth, good current. It is success and peace, not active resignation. It is the representation of an achieved objective.
It is the mythical essence of koi, which lives 100 years and jumps over a falls, becomes a dragon. The tattoo is a representative of this journey. Direction indicates whether you are still swimming towards your Gate (upstream) or have swam through it (downstream).
Yes. It is a force symbolizing the balance of life or various intervals. Two koi may also be used to represent the harmony of struggle and success (yin-yang), or you can have them on other parts of your body to have a complete story of your personal experience.
See the life chapter you are in. Select an upstream koi to make you strong and inspired by a sustained challenge. Select a downstream koi as a reminder of a fight you have already won and to take that victory with you as a life-long reminder.
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