Samurai warrior Ronin is an idealized tattoo subject, often portrayed as the Japanese equivalent of Clint Eastwood.
The ronin were masterless samurai disenfranchised by the death of their master or the loss of favors and privileges from their leader. In the rigid class system of feudal Japan, most samurai lords who lost the honor of their houses committed seppuku (ritual suicide).
Those unwanted samurai left behind, unable or unwilling to serve a new master, picked up their katana along the way to make a living as mercenaries, or strutted around as vagrants and thugs.
The following 85 tattoo ideas showcase an amazing variety of ronin tattoo designs and concepts, while towards the end of the gallery are some helpful samurai FAQs that can help you decide on a theme for a new tattoo.
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1. black and gray ronin ink
2. ronin arm tattoo art
4. ronin back tattoo ideas
5. full sleeve ink
6. traditional japanese body art design
7. ronin leg tattoo concepts
8. oni masked ronin tattoos
9. ronin tattoos on upper arm and shoulder
10. skull
11. black and red ronin ink
frequently asked questions about ronin tattoos
what do ronin tattoos symbolize?
The Japanese word rounin (ronin in English), is a combination of two kanji that when combined mean wandering person or wanderer. the ronin were masterless samurai who appear in popular crossover tales such as musashi and the 47 ronin.
ronin strikes a chord with tattoo enthusiasts who still identify as loners, drifters, and outcasts, like the spaghetti western version of clint eastwood in the 1970s.
what is the difference between ronin and samurai?
Samurai were the aristocratic class of soldiers who fought for the lord of their clan and family.
When a lord lost his life or was ashamed and committed seppuku, these samurai were expected to atone by taking his life as a reward as well.
Those who did not became masterless samurai known as ronin, who were generally shunned by their own kind and became mercenaries, vagabonds, and sometimes criminals.
What do Japanese samurai tattoos and ronin masks symbolize?
The Japanese word oni means demon. oni mask tattoos are often implemented in samurai and ronin body art because for an oni mask it was to have succumbed to their base nature and abandoned the lofty ideals of the samurai.
As ronin were disenfranchised samurai, demoted from their original position and shunned by their former peers, wearing an oni mask or helmet was a sign of submission, but also a reflection of their outsider status.
Did you like these ronin tattoo designs? Click the links below to see more Japanese-inspired tattoos:
- samurai helmet tattoo ideas
- the 47 best samurai tattoos
- 103 samurai mask tattoos
- the 53 best oni tattoo ideas
- hannya mask tattoo designs
