Japanese Samurai Tattoo Designs Gallery

In order to understand the symbolism and meaning that Japanese Samurai tattoos carry for the people of Japan it is imperative to know a little bit about the history of the class. There is no doubt about the fact the Samurai tattoo designs have been very popular in Japan for many years now. The latest trends in the west have raised the popularity of Samurai tattoos even outside of Japan. The Samurai class was divided into three categories; the mounted warriors, the archers and the foot soldiers. The prototype of the class had come into existence in the 6th century with the establishment of the shogunate system of governance in Japan. The Samurai class had certain privileges in society. They were exempted from taxes and duties as they provided security with their own weapons. Japanese samurai tattoos are of various types. Tattoos that were popular amongst the Samurais themselves are also considered to be samurai tattoos. Then you have the more modern approach that actually depicts illustrations and abstractions of the samurai in action. Bushido tattoos in the Kanji script are also considered to be samurai tattoos and are by far the most popular amongst the collection.