Where does the samurai symbol come from?
The samurai were the professional warrior class of pre-industrial Japan, drawn from warrior families. In English the word is often used as a synonym for bushi, the proper Japanese term for a professional warrior, but the two are not always the same. The warlords who ruled Japan, the daimyo and the shogun, were members of the warrior class but were not called samurai.
Hannya and oni are separate things. The hannya is a mask from Noh theatre that represents a jealous female demon, with two bull-like horns and a leering mouth. An oni is a kind of demon or ogre in Japanese folklore, usually shown with horns, fangs and a club. Both appear in Japanese tattoo designs, but neither is a samurai symbol. Treat them as their own subjects.
Japanese tattooing has its own long tradition, called irezumi. It is applied by hand by specialists called horishi, using wooden handles and metal needles. Decorative tattooing developed into an art form in the Edo period, driven by woodblock printing and the 1757 Japanese edition of the novel Suikoden. Tattoos were later outlawed in the Meiji period, which strengthened a stigma that persists today.
What should you know before getting a samurai tattoo?
- Japanese tattooing is a living tradition with its own rules and masters. If you want a design in the Japanese style, look for an artist trained in it, and ask what the imagery means before you commit.
- In Japan tattoos are still banned in many public baths, gyms and hot springs, because they have long been linked with criminality. If you plan to travel there, check the rules for the places you want to visit.
- Do not add hannya masks, oni or Japanese text to a samurai design as decoration. They come from other traditions, and a wrong character or a mistranslated phrase will stay on your skin.