Maybe the two most famous things in the tattoo industry are back tattoos and Japanese style and, in this guide, I want to show you a lot of examples of Japanese back tattoos.

First, I am going to introduce you to the naming of the different types of back tattoos in Japanese style, and then, I want to show you a lot of different examples.

Let’s do it!

Some About The Different Names For Back Tattoos In Japanese Style

Let me introduce you to some concepts.

It’s going to be sweet and short, I promise:

Irezumi is for “Tattoo” in Japanese

The first concept you really need to know it that:

Irezumi, in Japanese, means “Tattoo”, and the kanji is this one 入れ墨, just in case you want to know how to write it, and it’s literally means “to insert ink”.

For example, this tattoo is one example of Irezumi Tattoo, as you can see:

This tattoo is made by Jens Schnettler, a wonderful tattoo artist based in Stuttgart, in Germany, working at Bold As Love Tattoo Studio.

Senaka is for “Back” in Japanese

The second word you need to know about is Senaka (背中), and it just means “back”, nothing more, and nothing less.

So, if you want a back tattoo and you want to define it properly, maybe you need to ask for a senaka irezumi, isn’t it?

Another example, this time for a senaka tattoo may be this one:

A very traditional black and red dragon in the entire back and, for me, a masterpiece from Fabi Hiromi, one of the famous woman tattoo artists working in Japanese tattoo style, with her own private study in Canada.

Kameno-kou is for “Tortoise Shell” in Japanese

Well, let’s move to a higher level.

There is a type of tattoo in Japanese style called Kameno-kou, and the translation is just “tortoise shell”.

This is a kind of design for the entire back, but stopping just before the sides, leaving the armpits and torso without ink. You know why? So the design is not seen dressed, of course.

Moreover, it is a tortoise shell, so Kameno-kou Irezumi meaning is about protection, stability and, of course, longevity.

Look at this example of a finished Kameno-Kou:

This time, the tattoo is made by David Ferreyros, from Perú, another fantastic Irezumi specialized tattoo artist.

Soushinbori is for “Full-Body Suit” in Japanese

If you want a full-body tattoo in Japanese style, of course, including your back, maybe the name for that is Soushinbori Irezumi.

Well but, why are I including a full-body tattoo suit in a guide about back tattoos in Japanese Style?

Just because you have a sub-type of this type of tattoo called Donburi Soushinbori (丼ぶり総身彫り), a tattoo covering the back and upper torso, but remaining uninked the belly or chest (usually).

So, technically speaking, Donburi Soushinbori Irezumi is a wonderful back tattoo too!

This should be a nice example for a Soushinbori Irezumi, from the front size.

Another masterpiece, this time from Montamorino, a fantastic tattoo artist working at Tokyo.

One more thing about this full-body suit tattoo, it can be called Gakubori too (額彫り), usually when the main part of the tattoo is the back one.

Hikae is for Chest, Shoulders and Back Tattoo in Japanese

Moreover, you can do a Hikae (ヒカエ) Irezumi tattoo too.

Hikae tattoos are not just a back tattoo, it usually covers the shoulders and chest too, but it usually extends the upper back (at least).

Usually, but not always, there are some floral patterns but, you know, flower patterns are very common in Japanese Tattoo style.

Now, and example of an Hikae Irezumi:

As you can see, this design is about the entire arms, shoulders, some chest and back, moreover, on both sides of the body, so you can bet this is a proper Hikae one.

This tattoo is made by Paqui Tattoo, a tattoo artist based in Santiago de Chile.

Some Japanese Back Tattoo Designs For You

And now, let me show you just some more designs for Japanese back tattoos so you can get inspired.

Japanese Woman Back Tattoo

As you can see, this is a very traditional design for a Japanese Back Tattoo, in black and red color as the main ones, about a woman (or a geisha) with some dragons in the arms.

We can say this tattoo design is truly magnificent, with a lot of details, a perfect composition and very bold and nice finished lines.

The tattoo is made by DxDaxi.

Traditional Japanese Back Tattoo

Another nice example of a huge Japanese Back Tattoo is this one, all in black and grey ink, without any color, but a lot of symbolism.

As you can see, the tattoo is about a man, also tattooed, with some weapon in his hands but with fear in his face.

I do love the patterns in the upper parts of the back, as well as the cloud details.

This tattoo is done by Toma Tattoo, a tattoo studio specialized in Irezumi tattoo.

Dragon Back Tattoo

Impressive, isn’t it?

This time you can see a huge piece of a Japanese back tattoo about the head of a dragon, with a lot of different details, in black and grey, and perfectly finished.

This tattoo is done by Angel Ink Bali Tattoo, a tattoo studio in Bali, Indonesia, with 36 artists, in fact, is one of the largest tattoo shops in Asia.

Impressive Green Dragon Back Tattoo

Another dragon, but completely different is this one.

As you can see, this time is a very traditional green dragon in Japanese style and, moreover, is a part of a full-body suit piece or, as you may know, a Soushinbori Irezumi, isn’t it?

The tattoo is done by Dynamic Tattoo, a fantastic tattoo studio in Melbourne, Australia, opened since 1991, not bad, isn’t it?

Samurai Back Tattoo

Now you can see a fantastic piece of work about a samurai tattoo, of course, in Japanese style and, moreover, in a back tattoo.

We think this tattoo is quite impressive and we do love a lot of things, like the color palette, the linework of the piece and, moreover, the strong feeling about the composition.

It’s a 10/10.

This tattoo is done at Lumina Tattoo Studio, another nice studio in Bali, Indonesia with very, very talented tattoo artists inside.

Hannya Mask Japanese Back Tattoo

We do love the traditional designs for Japanese tattoos, and, with this back piece tattoo, we think you can do love them too!

This tattoo is about a very traditional Hannya mask, a kind of demon from the Japanese folk who usually were in the plays at the theater.

The tattoo itself is done by Ryan Ussher, artist and owner of Lighthouse Tattoo, in Sydney, Australia, and co-owner of Lotus Needles. As you can see, Ryan is a master of tattooing in Japanese style, isn’t he?

Tiger Back Japanese Tattoo

Let’s move on into another kind of tattoos, maybe not so traditional but beautiful, like this one.

This one is about two tigers with a fantastic design, two cherry blossom trees, and we think this piece has a lot of harmony, really.

This tattoo is made by Off-Tattooer, a fantastic tattoo artist from Seoul, in Korea, with a very special sense of art, and a nice personal brand.

Double Botan Hikae Japanese Tattoo

Now, you can see a double Hikae tattoo and, as you should remember, Hikae is for arms, upper chest, shoulders and upper back tattoos.

This one is a fantastic piece with big and little flowers, some waves, a tiger on one shoulder and a lot of different details done with mastery.

The tattoo is done by Alex Gallo, a tattoo artist who defines himself as an Horimono enthusiast, tattooing in Twilight Tattoo, in Pavia, Italy.

Hikae Tibori Style

Here is something very, very special.

This tattoo is a Hikae too, made with a Meiji design (Meiji was a Japanese Dynasty from 1868 to 1912) and, moreover, done in Tebori style or, in other words, without electric machines, just handmade in the traditional way.

And, as you can see, the design is fantastic, but the definition and the finish of this work is absolutely perfect.

This tattoo is done by Atelier DoNoEko Tebori, a tattoo studio in Normandie, France, who only does handmade traditional Japanese Tattoo, and we think it’s beautiful.

A lot of different options for you

As you can see, there are a lot of different options in Japanese Back Tattoo for you, and this guide is only a small list.

We hope that it inspires you and helps you to choose your next tattoo!