Ink & tiles

The meaning behind the art on our tiles, and plain-English guides to mahjong.

Red and white koi fish swimming through waves in Japanese tattoo style

Koi fish tattoo meaning

What a koi fish tattoo means in Japanese irezumi: perseverance, the Dragon Gate legend, what koi colours mean, and why the direction the koi swims matters.

Red hannya mask with gold horns in Japanese tattoo style

Hannya mask meaning

What the hannya mask means: its roots in Japanese Noh theatre, a woman turned demon by jealousy, what the colours mean, and why it is a protective tattoo.

Red and gold Japanese dragon in tattoo style

Japanese dragon tattoo meaning

What a Japanese dragon tattoo means: the ryū as a water god of wisdom and strength, how Japanese and Chinese dragons differ, and dragon colours in irezumi.

Mahjong tiles: three dots, bamboo, one character, green dragon, red dragon and a flower tile

Mahjong tile meanings: every tile explained

A simple guide to mahjong tiles: dots, bams and craks, the four winds, the red, green and white dragons, flowers, jokers, and how many tiles are in a mahjong set.