There was a time when tattoos of Samurai were only limited to Japan. But as the Japanese tattoo art culture gained popularity so did the Samurai tattoo. Samurai tattoos are today one of the most popular Japanese tattoo designs. This is because they represent multiple meanings that relate to masculinity.
A Samurai tattoo represents nobility, service, strength, honesty, fearless nature, self-discipline and spirituality too. They are more popular among men. Here we have chosen 100 plus samurai tattoos with their meanings –
Samurai tattoo Ideas
1. Here is a meaningful samurai tattoo where the samurai is being pierced by multiple arrows and yet he is determined to complete his mission. This reminds me of Bhishma’s death in Mahabharat.
2. Samurai can be a really great choice for sleeve tattoos but they will look only great if you have thick biceps or calves.
3. This tattoo of samurai is inspired from the Japanese art and drawings. You might confuse it with the mask of fawkes.
4. If you consider yourself as a warrior then there is no better choice than an angry samurai tattoo and that too in full armor like this.
5. As Samurai take oath of their lives to protect their owner so showing red color (symbol of blood) will be a meaningful idea.
6. Japanese devil tattoos are popular as well. Here is a mix up of Japanese devil with samurai tattoo on the thigh of this girl.
7. If you do not want a large size then a good choice for you would be to go for a samurai mask tattoo which will occupy less space and will look equally appealing.
8. If you search samurai portraits on internet then you will find this image as one of the most popular drawing.
9. According to Japanese culture Samurai were not even afraid of death or devil.
10. A realistic samurai tattoo design would also be a good choice. You can see for yourself how beautiful they look.Do you know that Samurai follow eight virtue their whole life.
Samurai Tattoo Designs
11. If you want to show samurai without its armour then I would suggest you to take inspiration from Japanese anime and video game because these medias feature samurais with really cool hairstyles.
12. You can also go for just samurai armor tattoo design. Do not forget to add the chained chest-case and a katana.
13. Samurai are considered one of the bravest warriors. Showing them with dangerous animals like lion or tiger will be cool idea.
14. Honestly I never heard of an evil Samurai. But their mask are very similar to devil’s face.
15. Adding other Japanese tattoo styles to the samurai tattoo would also be cool idea. Here the artist added cherry blossoms to the tattoo of samurai.
16. This is a traditional samurai sleeve tattoo. I must admit it is one of the coolest sleeve tattoos that I have ever come across.
17. You might have heard about geisha but have you heard about Onna-Bugeisha. They were female counterparts of Samurai. You might consider them as female samurais.
18. Samurai used to wear armour all the time. Here is a samurai without his armour.
19. This female samurai tattoo will suit both men and women.
20. A tattoo of samurai in fighting pose will signify that you never back down and always up for the challenges.
Japanese Samurai Tattoo
21. You might get surprised to know that there are different styles of samurai tattoos in trend. For example here is a samurai afro tattoo which is totally unique.
22. While I admire samurai sleeve tattoos but this doesn’t mean that samurai half sleeve tattoos are out of trend. In fact, they have their own charm.
23. One unique trend is to try a mix of samurai and oni mask. The oni mask refers to the repayment of karma whereas Samurai serve as a punisher. Therefore a samurai oni mask tattoo will mean that you believe in what goes around comes back around.
24. Samurai skull tattoos are also commonly tried but they are not tried by Asian people. So think before you decide to try such design.
25. If you do not want to try oni mask with samurai then another option is to try samurai in Egyptian mummy mask like this.
26. Adding flowers to your samurai helmet tattoo will show that you try to see beauty in odds.
27. This is perfect placement of the tattoo of samurai. Believe me samurai shoulder tattoos are the best.
28. Do not try to portrait yourself in the samurai costume. It might turn out as a bad tattoo design.
29. Yes female samurai tattoo are not as popular as the male counterparts but then again they are unique designs.
30. Another mix up that people often try is the samurai stormtrooper mix. Tattoo artists often give a storm trooper like armour to the samurai.
Samurai Tattoos For Men
31. Most artists go for young samurai in tattoo design but how about an old looking samurai who has seen war and death. This will represent that you are an experienced man who demands seriousness in life.
32. Here is another samurai oni tattoo that can be made even more awesome by adding a dragon to it.
33. If you show the samurai oni mask in crying state then it will represent that you regret your mistakes and suffer a huge loss in life.
34. The samurai sword (katana) plays a vital role in tattoo design so make sure you show it in a shiny state.
35. One of the best samurai tattoos you can get is a standing samurai without a helmet who grieves the loss and wish to overcome the pain. It will get even better if you add a meaningful Japanese quote to it.
36. Okay this is a risky design. It looks more like a level 1 player in any samurai video game. What you think of this?
37. Whenever you try a samurai oni mask tattoo you must add a devil face to the helmet just like this.
38. Here is another awesome samurai sleeve tattoo. Kudos to the artist who worked so beautifully on the eyes of this samurai.
39. After arms, back is the best place to get a tattoo of samurai. This is because you can get a full samurai inked on the back like this.
40. Another unique placement that you can try is the side of the rib cage.
Traditional Samurai Tattoo Designs
Check out few more designs of samurai tattoos that are awesome –
So which samurai tattoo design you would recommend and why?
