Ensô Circle Tattoo

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Denk including the following with this photo of his first tattoo..

This is my new tattoo! I got it done by Denis at the Aloha Tattoo Studio in Karlsruhe, South Germany.

It’s an incomplete circle inked in the likeness of a brush drawing. These brush circles are called “ensô” in Japanese and are one of the central symbols of Zen. The English Wikipedia article on the ensô describes its symbolism pretty well: “Ensô is perhaps the most common subject of Japanese calligraphy, symbolizing enlightenment, strength, elegance, the universe, and the void; it is also an “expression of the moment” and thus is often considered a form of expressionist art.

I chose the ensô not only because of its symbolism, but also because I consider the imperfect look of Asian brush drawings and calligraphy very aesthetically pleasing. A friend of mine remarked that the tattoo reminded him of the endless serpent that bites it’s own tail (remember ouroboros?). I’d like to hear your thoughts on both the ensô and the tattoo.. and don’t feel shy to produce actual criticism; I consider myself mature enough not to take it personally and retreat into the corner of my room, crying and hugging my knees!

See more in “Religious and Mythological Tattoos“ (Tattoos)

BME Update

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Posted 1,023 images today, thanks as usual to Phil for processing the images. This update’s coverboy is Scott. I’m not sure if he’s on IAM or not since there wasn’t a link but if so, someone let me know.

There are something like 2500+ images ready to go and the backlog of emails is down to May 22nd. If you haven’t heard back about your submission and you emailed it before May 22nd, email [email protected]. Please note that if you sent your images to an email address other than [email protected] or instead of using the IAM upload or BME upload tools, they will not be posted to BME.

I’ve been thinking about some really neat contest ideas, one of which is a trip to Africa, Asia and Latin America to accompany me and a small team on an anthropological adventure. That would just be crazy. It’s at least a year out in the planning stage.

I’ve been putting together a street team to get more coverage of conventions around the world. I’ve been invited to come to NIX by Damian so I’ll be there with a booth, just like in Montreal and Buenos Aires. I love it when a plan comes together! Now all I have to do is get a new banner made in time and hope that the thousands of stickers and cards that have been ordered arrive in time!