Masayo and Rico informed us that they have seen a disturbing trend; a tattoo in Japanese characters which they (the tattooed) claim mean "samurai". This is the ancient meaning of that word, however the current usage of that word is not so romantic. Apparently there are Americans proudly wearing body art that translates to "I can't pass the college entrance exam and so have to keep taking the test over and over again each year."
The ancient meaning of that word is not so great either, as it actually means a samurai without a master. To our American culture which above all prizes independence, this may sound positive; but that masterless samurais were in a state of disgrace, usually because they had broken the law and killed somebody.
So let this be a lesson to you- don't get any permanent body art in a language other than your own.
Masayo, Rico, is this the correct picture of the tattoo?
2 comments:
If you read the entry on ronin at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronin, especially the "Portrayals in Media" section, you will see why some people think it a ronin is a positive thing. -Trinka
Yes, it reads "ronin"...
and was fun story to me. :)
Happy New Year !
Post a Comment