This sophomore’s tattoo is about to be fire
Ally Moreo | Photo Editor
Cameron Hart's half sleeve was inspired by his Japanese culture, passed down to him from his mother who grew up in Japan. Among his tattoos are a sea eagle and cherry blossom tree.
Cameron Hart loves Japanese culture. His right arm is covered with a half-sleeve of tattoos, each one a symbol of Japan and his heritage.
In 2012, the week after he turned 18, the sophomore biology major asked his mother to write out his full name in the Japanese writing system. Hart’s mother grew up in Japan and wrote Hart’s name in katakana – one of the three character-sets of Japanese. He then got a tattoo artist to put it on the back of his right arm.
“I always had a love for tattoos, and a strong tie to my Japanese heritage,” explained Hart. “I figured, why not put two and two together?”
Two years later, an artist designed a Japanese scroll around the letters to make it look like his katakana name was written on the scroll. He also got a large cherry blossom branch beside and above the scroll.
Courtesy of Cameron Hart
“I kind of got the cherry blossom on a whim,” Hart said. “I was trying to think of something related to Japan, to stick with the theme, but also aesthetically pleasing. I decided to go with the tree because I wanted the pink petals to stand out against the black and white of the other tattoos.”
The last part of Hart’s sleeve came a year later, when he got a Japanese sea eagle, clouds and a rising sun tattooed beside the scroll.
Hart’s strong tie to Japanese culture is rooted in his heritage. His mother is Japanese, and passed down many of the same values and practices that her parents had engrained in her as she grew up in Japan.
“I got the tattoos partly because I really love the Japanese way of life, but also because it makes me feel more connected to my mom’s side of the family,” Hart said. “Both her parents passed away when I was five. Learning about Japanese practices makes me feel closer to them and that part of myself.”
Over the summer, he plans to return to the same tattoo artist and get a dragon and fire on the lower part of his arm. He eventually wants to incorporate all four elements — water, earth, wind and fire — into his tattoos. He already has the wind element in the form of the flying sea eagle and the earth element in the form of the cherry blossom tree. After he gets the dragon and the fire, he will get a tattoo related to water on his chest.
Published on April 17, 2017 at 8:59 pm
Contact Julie: jlmccu01@syr.edu
