When you think about samurai you probably picture those epic battles, sleek armor, and razor-sharp katanas. But did ink play a role in their rugged aesthetic? Have you ever wondered if samurai had tattoos or not?
Now imagine the ancient Japan, a land of mystery and honor. Tattoos have been around for a while, they existed in ancient Japan as well. They meant different things to different folks. Some Japanese criminals back in the day wore tattoos as a symbol of oneness and some wore tattoos to keep away evil spirits and for religious purposes. What about samurai? Did they wear tattoos as well? That is exactly what we will find out in today’s article.
Key Takeaways
- Samurai were a noble and elite military force who resembled power, respect, and honor.
- Samurai despised tattoos and banned them during the Edo period, so the chance of samurai having tattoos is quite slim.
- Reasons why some people think samurai had tattoos are for protection, body identification, and religious symbols.
- Reasons, why samurai despised tattoos, are associated with being low-born, associated with criminal organizations, and associated with merchants.
Samurai: Short Briefing
Back in ancient Japan during the Kamakura period (1185 to 1333), the rise of the samurai was noticed. Samurai leaders or shogun had their military force and the samurai was a crucial part of the military force. You could say samurais were like officers with great authority over their commanding force.
Being a samurai was a great honor for any Japanese. But not anybody could become a samurai. One has to belong to a noble family and must have exceptional talent to become a samurai. But later on, some extremely talented individuals who did not belong to any noble family, eventually became samurai.
Some samurais were masterless and were known as Ronin which roughly translates to drifter or wanderer. Samurais were seen as people of great power which continued even until the 20th Century! But with the rise of different military tactics and ranged fighting, the role of a samurai was seen as less prestigious, and eventually samurais no longer exist today. But the cultural impact they had on the world, especially in Japan and even tattoo artists cannot go unnoticed!
Samurai: Did They Have Tattoos Or Not?
Most samurais wore magnificent armor that would look visually stunning. And nowadays you can see people getting tattoos of samurai wearing amazing armor. And sometimes you may notice samurai tattoos in which the samurai is wearing tattoos. But in reality, did the actual samurai have tattoos?
There is little to no evidence of samurai having tattoos. Some sources claim to see samurai wearing tattoos, but there is no proof to confirm it. So, most likely samurai did not have tattoos.
Tattoo and connection to criminals
A strong reason for believing that samurais did not have tattoos is, that they banned the tattooing culture themselves during the Edo period (1603 to 1867). Back in the day, Japanese people wore tattoos for many reasons. One prime reason was to create a bond between criminal gang members. Criminals tattoo themselves to not only show commitment to their particular criminal group but also to become a part of the criminal family. Little by little things got out of hand and Japanese citizens would feel afraid whenever they noticed someone walking around with a tattoo.
Samurai banning tattoos
To prevent this tattoo symbolism among criminals and to make citizens not afraid anymore, samurais tried their best to ban tattoos. They succeeded back then but now you can see or at least heard of that still criminal organizations in Japan use the tattoo as a symbol of membership. But don’t get me wrong, nowadays any Japanese citizen can rock a rad tattoo without any issue, just because someone has a tattoo does not mean he belongs to a criminal organization like the Yakuza group.
Exception
In the beginning of the tattooing culture in Japan, which was during the 3rd century, tattoos were not associated with criminals. During this early stage tattoo was a new thing and many would get tattoos without thinking much. So, some samurai in that early stage may have gotten tattoos as well. But as time went by, especially during the 7th century, only low-class criminals started to get tattoos on their skin. Samurai was all about nobility, respect, and honor. So, how could they get tattooed like some lowborn or criminal? From the 7th century, samurai completely abandoned tattooing and started to resent it as it symbolized something filthy or disrespectful thing.
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4 Reasons Some People Claim Samurai Had Tattoos
There are a couple of websites out there that claim samurai did have tattoos. They also have a few solid reasons behind it as well. However, there is no backing from scholars on the matter of samurai having tattoos. Are you curious regarding what are some possible reasons for samurai to get tattoos? I have listed them below.
1. For protection
In the early stage of tattooing in Japan, many believed getting tattoos on their skin could keep the evil spirit away and protect them. So, some samurai have gotten tattoos for protection.
2. Body identification
Samurai may have used tattoos on their body so that when they died in battle, their body could be identified. In battle samurai heads were like a price or trophy, soldiers would cut off the head of the samurai they killed and would take that head to showcase their achievement. In such circumstances, a tattooed body would be a great way to identify whose body that is.
3. Religious symbol
When tattoos were first introduced in Japan, they quickly became a symbol of religion. So, samurai may have tattoos on their bodies to showcase their religious beliefs. However, they were subsequently outlawed by the 7th Century for being barbaric acts and later in the Edo period (1603 – 1868) by samurais themselves.
4. Fictional characters
The more recent claim of people thinking that samurais had elaborate tattoos comes from fictional characters like Ruan Xiaowu from a Chinese novel called Water Margin. He was cited as a warrior akin to that of a samurai and he had a leopard tattoo on his chest which is depicted to have a leopard tattoo. Japanese artists took this fictional character, turned him into a samurai, and gave him a dragon tattoo on his back which is why the misconception might have persisted till today.
3 Reasons Why Samurai Despised Tattoos
Are you wondering what could be the reason behind samurai trying to ban tattoos or despising tattoos? I have listed all the reasons below.
1. Associated with low-born
During the 6th or 7th century, many low-born or people with lower social status would get tattoos in Japan. And samurai, a symbol of nobility could not be associated with the symbol of lower status which is tattoos. So, they did not like tattoos and avoided getting tattoos themselves.
2. Associated with criminal organization
Japanese criminals would get matching tattoos on their whole body to show they belong to the same criminal organization or gang. Tattoos became a part of criminal identity, How could samurai a military noble force get tattoos in such circumstances? Samurai not only despised tattoos but also tried to ban them so that criminals could not use them as a part of their gang symbol.
3. Associated with merchant
After the 6th century, a group of wealthy merchants started to get tattoos. For some reason, the samurai did not like these merchants. Hence they despise the tattoos they wear as well.
FAQs
Can I get a samurai tattoo or it would be disrespectful?
Yes and no. If you are not Japanese you can get a samurai tattoo without any issue, just make sure you understand what the tattoo stands for and what it symbolizes. If you are Japanese then getting a samurai tattoo could be an issue. Even in modern times most Japanese view tattoos as a bad sign and getting a samurai tattoo could offend them.
What does a samurai tattoo symbolize?
Samurai tattoo symbolizes:
- Strength
- Power
- Nobility
- Respect
- Authority
Is there any historical proof that samurai had tattoos?
No there is little to no historical proof of samurai having tattoos. But some samurai may have had tattoos in the early stage of the tattoo when it was not associated with Criminals during the 3rd or 4th century.
Final Thoughts
So, did samurai have tattoos? It is a bit difficult to answer as there is no proof of them having tattoos yet there are chance of them having tattoos. Some samurai may have had tattoos at the beginning of tattoos became popular in Japan during the 3rd century. But later when tattooing became more popular among criminals, lower-class families, and a certain group of merchants whom the samurai did not like, they started to despise tattoos. In the Edo period, samurais tried to ban tattoos and even succeeded to some extent.
There are some interesting reasons why samurai may have tattoos though. Such as a way to identify their dead body, to protect themselves from evil spirits, religious symbols, etc. Regardless of whether samurai had tattoos or not, you can surely get a samurai tattoo as long as you are not Japanese. If you are Japanese consider if the people around you would feel offended because of the tattoo or not before getting inked.
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