Because plain is boring.

Maybe the problem isn't the legibility, but the content.

i guess this only satisfies the owner of the tattoo itself. since it's not really for anyone to read.

to tell you the truth, whoever reads kanji will think the characters is more of a mismatch sentence. unless if it's a japanese who knows the name of "jacob" (or anyone who knows japanese) will understand that this tattoo represent the pronounciation of "jacob".

I truly doubt anyone would even try to understand the meaning, much less pull out a foreign name. I think of it as some sort of crude art without creativity. Interpret it as you will, but its meaning is really only with the owner.

Don't twist the argument. You're talking about the ex-foreigners who have naturalized into Japan.

I repeat. Jacob = ジェイコブ. Anyone who tells you otherwise doesn't know much Japanese or Japanese customs. If I had to tell otherwise just to please someone who doesn't even know あ from い, I'd rather kick my butt outa JF. You guys wouldn't need a Japanese member.

If someone wants to take the time to write "治叡勇功武" for "Jacob" everytime he has to write his name, go ahead and do it. What is he going to do with with his family or middle name then? No one will be able to read it so he'd end up having to provide the furigana "ジェイコブ" anyway. That is going to be a 100-stroke full name.

If the name is Hebrew, I would get it in a language you speak or Hebrew.

Don't steal my techniques. ;)

those characters look more like an unusual combined meaning instead of a name. lol

although i'm pretty sure that icewind isn't the one that's getting the tattoo, but he surely can "understand" the mind of the original OP by stating all his comments for the OP instead.. lol

Those kanji can be read so many ways, I would be shocked if a Japanese person actually read that to be "Jacob".

my Name is originaly Shizuka-Miyako ...and i would like it to translate...
i have a french name too jessica can i translate it to a japanese name too?