Jonathan — Koi & Botan Lower Sleeve
A Japanese lower sleeve featuring a red koi, botan (peony), sakura (cherry blossom), and rock work. Jonathan's first tattoo — tattooed at Ink and Dagger in Roswell, Georgia.
A first tattoo. A fresh start.
Jonathan came to me carrying something most people never share out loud. The scars on his forearm were from a chapter of his life he was ready to move past — and he wanted to mark that transition with something permanent, something beautiful, something that was entirely his. This was his first tattoo.
We built the composition around a red koi rising through the arm — in Japanese tradition the koi swimming upstream against the current represents perseverance, the refusal to be defined by difficulty. Botan (peony) fills the lower arm alongside sakura and rock work, grounding the piece in the Japanese aesthetic while giving it color and softness to balance the bold koi above.
The lower sleeve is complete. Jonathan may return to extend the work up the arm — but what's there now stands on its own. It covers what it was meant to cover, and it tells a story worth telling.
This is what I mean when I say tattooing is part of the service industry. The art matters. The craft matters. But sometimes the most important thing happening in the chair has nothing to do with needle or ink.
Start Your Own ProjectReady to reclaim your skin?
Every piece starts with a conversation. Let's talk about what you're carrying and what you want to build.