Feeling like you’re lost on your search for the perfect Kitsune Tattoo Designs? Well, worry no longer.
The messengers of Inari have guided you here for a reason, as we have pulled out some of the best Kitsune Tattoo Ideas we could find straight from the Foxes Den.
So sit back and relax and allow us to take you on a spiritual journey of Kitsune Tattoo Ideas.
Kitsune Tattoo Meaning
The origins of the Kitsune myth can be traced back to ancient Japan, where foxes were considered both sacred and ominous creatures.
Revered for their intelligence and magical abilities, they were often associated with Inari, the Shinto deity of rice, fertility, and prosperity.
As messengers of Inari, Kitsune were believed to possess the power to ward off evil, bringing blessings and protection to those they favored.
The duality of the Kitsune’s nature is a recurring theme in its folklore, embodying both benevolent and malevolent aspects.
On one hand, the Zenko (善狐), or ‘good foxes,’ are celestial beings that act as guardians and guides. They are often depicted in art and literature as wise and benevolent, using their powers to help and protect humans.
On the other hand, the Yako (野狐), or ‘field foxes,’ are more mischievous and cunning, known to deceive and play tricks on unsuspecting individuals.
One of the most captivating aspects of the Kitsune mythology is the belief in their ability to shape-shift into human form. This power is often associated with the Kitsune’s age and wisdom, with the most powerful Kitsune having as many as nine tails.
A nine-tailed fox, or Kyūbi no Kitsune (九尾の狐), is a symbol of immense wisdom and power, and encountering one is considered an omen of great fortune or a profound spiritual awakening.
Kitsune Tattoo Ideas
Now knowing about the history of the Kitsune itself, then maybe you’re more interested than ever to get a Kistune tattoo of your own, but just what Kistune tattoo is right for you? Let’s take a look and see.
Standard Kitsune Tattoo
A Standard Kitsune Tattoo is your Kitsune Tattoo with no real bells or whistles attached.
Kitsune Tattoos symbolize good fortune, wisdom, adaptability, or mystery, and mischief, as Kitsune are known for their playful and sometimes trickster nature, representing a mysterious or mischievous side.
Kitsune And Fan Tattoo
To give your Kitsune Tattoo a bit more of an oriental flair, try adding an oriental fan to its design.
This lovely piece features a full moon and plum blossoms as patterns on the fan, along with red strings, tassels, and jade ornaments.
Floral Kitsune Tattoo
With so many flower species in the world, adapting any to your choices to your Kitsune Tattoo can drastically change the tattoo’s meaning.
For example, a Rose Tattoo, a symbol of love and romance, can change the meaning of Kitsune to symbolize protecting your love, while a Daisy Tattoo, representing purity, can make your Kitsune Tattoo symbolize childlike innocence and mischievousness.
Kitsune Frame Tattoo
For something a little different, try out this gorgeous Kitsune Frame Tattoo.
This piece features a deep red sun, lotus flowers, cherry blossoms, and some nice splashing waves at the water’s edge.
Kitsune Mask Tattoo
A Kitsune Mask represents mystery, transformation, and the mystical qualities of the fox spirit.
These masks, often worn during traditional festivals and ceremonies, embody the kitsune’s role as both a guardian and a trickster, associated with wisdom, protection, and duality.
You might also be interested in Best Japanese Mask Tattoo Ideas, check it out here!
Kitsune With Mask Tattoo
You don’t have to settle for having a Kitsune Mask Tattoo alone. Instead, you can choose to have your Kitsune with a Kitsune mask.
Rather than wearing a Kitsune Mask, this rendition is wearing a bunny mask, potentially suggesting it can also transform into a rabbit form.
Cat With Kitsune Mask Tattoo
Cat Tattoos are rich with symbolism chosen by people who resonate with the unique qualities cats represent.
This symbolism includes independence, freedom, mystery, intuition, protection, and good fortune.
Yokai And Kitsune Tattoo
Despite being a Yokai itself, you can choose to include another type of Yokai into your Kitsune Tattoo design.
Yokai are supernatural entities, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore, representing a wide variety of mystical creatures with origins that date back centuries.
They encompass everything from mischievous spirits to terrifying monsters and divine beings.
The term yokai is broad and includes various supernatural beings with different abilities, personalities, and intentions.
Brushstroke Kitsune Tattoo
Brushstroke tattoos are inspired by traditional painting techniques and feature designs that mimic the fluid, dynamic lines of brush strokes.
These tattoos often have a minimalistic, abstract look, using sweeping strokes that resemble the art style seen in East Asian calligraphy or painting.
Naruto Kitsune Tattoo
Karuma is one of the nine-tailed beasts in the Naruto franchise.
Considered a mindless monster, its power was sought after by humans as a tool for war.
This misuse of its power caused a deep resentment for the human race in Karuma until Naruto’s insistence on treating him with respect changed his perspective for the better.
Traditional Kitsune Tattoo
Traditional Tattoos are a classic style recognized for bold lines, limited color palettes, and iconic imagery.
This tattoo style has roots in Western tattoo history, especially among sailors and soldiers in the early 20th century, and remains popular for its timeless, distinctive aesthetic and rich symbolism.
Baby Kitsune Tattoo
For something a little cuter, why not try out a baby Kitsune Tattoo?
There are many Japanese tales of the Kitsune, including how young Kitsune developed into adulthood.
Young Kitsunes often struggle with their shapeshifting powers, and in one tale, a young Kitsune tries to transform into a human but forgets to change its shadow, revealing its fox form to anyone paying close attention.
Kitsune And Skull Tattoo
Skulls are used as a reminder of life’s impermanence and the inevitability of death.
A Skull Tattoo can be a way to confront this reality and live life fully, embracing each moment without fear of the end.
Skulls are also used as symbols of rebellion, particularly in subcultures like punk rock or biker communities.
For those who want to express their unique identity or a defiant attitude, a skull tattoo can embody that spirit.
Oriental Kitsune Tattoo
For a more Asian flair, try out this Oriental Kitsune style.
This design features a norigae, a traditional Korean ornament often worn by women as decorative pendants attached to the strings of a hanbok (traditional Korean clothing).
These ornaments carry deep cultural significance, embodying themes of good fortune, protection, and beauty.
Norigae are crafted from various materials, including silk threads, metal, and jade, and are often intricately designed with specific symbols that add further meaning.
Black Work Kitsune Tattoo
Blackwork tattoos are a tattoo style characterized by bold, black ink designs, often covering large areas of the skin with intricate patterns or solid black.
This tattoo style has a rich history, with roots in tribal tattooing, and it has evolved into a popular choice for those seeking dramatic, high-contrast designs.
Geisha Kitsune Tattoo
Geishas are traditional Japanese female entertainers known for their elegance, artistic skill, and preservation of classical Japanese arts.
Geisha translates to “person of art,” and true to their name, geishas are highly trained in various forms of Japanese cultural arts, including classical dance, music, tea ceremony, and poetry.
In a Japanese tale, a kitsune falls in love with a samurai after observing him from afar.
She’s drawn to his kindness and bravery but knows that, as a fox spirit, she would never be accepted in his world.
To get closer to him, the kitsune transforms into a beautiful geisha, hoping to catch his eye during one of his visits to the teahouse.
Disguised as a geisha, she charms him with her elegance and wit, and they begin a brief, intense romance.
Dancing Kitsune Tattoo
If you have a fun-loving and carefree spirit, then you will love this dancing boy/girl with their Kitsune mask and tails.
This cute design also features the child holding a lotus flower, which symbolizes purity and enlightenment.
Kitsune And Ginko Leaves Tattoo
This lovely Kitsune Tattoo features the fox spired along with some ginkgo leaves.
The ginkgo tree is one of the oldest living tree species, known for its distinctive fan-shaped leaves and incredible resilience, having survived for millions of years and even withstood the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
The tree’s ability to withstand time and adversity makes the ginkgo leaf a powerful emblem of resilience and strength.
Having been among the first living things to regrow after the Hiroshima bombing, it inspires hope, symbolizing life’s ability to renew and recover even after great destruction.
Kitsune And Spider Lily Tattoo
The Spider Lily is associated with themes of memory, death, rebirth, and the transient nature of life.
In Japanese and Chinese cultures, the red spider lily is sometimes called the “flower of the afterlife” and is commonly seen in literature, art, and tattoos as a powerful symbol.
Kitsune And Fox Tattoo
Despite looking almost identical except for the number of tails, foxes and Kitsune are separate species.
In one tale, a regular fox becomes envious of a kitsune’s magical abilities.
Curious and frustrated by its limitations, it approaches the kitsune and asks how it, too, can gain magical powers.
The kitsune, amused, advises the regular fox to practice patience, wisdom, and kindness toward others.
The regular fox, humbled, learns that power isn’t only about magic but also about character and spends the rest of its life embodying these traits in hopes of gaining spiritual abilities in the afterlife.
Floral Pattern Kitsune Tattoo
If you want to add flower symbolism to your Kitsune Tattoo without adding actual flowers to its design, try out something like this super cool Kitsune with a flower pattern tattoo.
Corrine Kitsune Tattoo
This Video Game Tattoo is of Corrine, a special summon exclusive to Tales of Symphonia.
Corrine was born in Meltokio’s Elemental Research Laboratory.
He is often summoned by Sheena to do tasks she can’t do herself, such as distracting Noishe when necessary to subdue others.
Transforming Kitsune Tattoo
The Kistune are known for their ability to shapeshift, most commonly transforming into human forms.
This shapeshifting skill, known as henge (変化), is one of the most defining characteristics of kitsune, and it is central to their role as both benevolent and mischievous beings.
Kitsune use this power to interact with humans, whether for trickery, romance, or protection, and their transformations are often accompanied by certain limitations, conditions, or even telltale signs.
Godzilla Kitsune Tattoo
Godzilla is an iconic fictional monster from Japan that first appeared in the 1954 film Gojira.
Originally portrayed as a colossal, prehistoric sea monster awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation, Godzilla has evolved over decades, becoming a global symbol appearing in numerous films, comics, and media.
Godzilla is often considered a representation of humanity’s relationship with nature, specifically the consequences of nuclear weapons and environmental destruction.
Ribbon Kitsune Tattoo
Ribbon tattoos are often used to show support for causes such as cancer awareness, domestic violence, Alzheimer’s, etc.
They can also symbolize support for loved ones or commemorate personal battles.
A ribbon tattoo may also be worn in memory of a loved one who has passed away, serving as a tribute or reminder of someone close to the heart.
Irezumi Kitsune Tattoo
Irezumi tattoos draw heavy inspiration from ukiyo-e, featuring motifs like mythical creatures, heroes, folklore, and nature.
Master tattoo artists, or Hiroshi, honed the art of Tebori, a hand-poking technique using bamboo or metal rods to create intricate designs, giving the tattoos a unique depth and vibrancy.
Vulpix And Ninetales Tattoo
Vulpix and Ninetales are the 37th and 38th Pokemon in the Pokedex, respectively.
Like the Kitsune, Vulpix is born with only a single tail that splits as it grows.
Ninetales is an intelligent Pokemon, wise enough to understand human speech.
Despite its elegant appearance, it is a vengeful Pokémon known to curse those who mistreat it, particularly anyone who wakes it up by grabbing one of its many tails.
White Kitsune Tattoo
In Japanese mythology, white foxes are considered sacred and are often associated with Inari, the Shinto deity of rice, fertility, agriculture, and prosperity.
A white kitsune is seen as a divine messenger or protector, symbolizing purity, good fortune, and spiritual guidance.
Inari Shrine Kitsune Tattoo
The Fushimi Inari Taisha is one of the most famous locations in Kyoto, Japan and one of the most important and widely visited Shinto shrines dedicated to Inari, the deity of rice, agriculture, fertility, industry, and prosperity.
Inari is one of the most revered kami (spirits or gods) in Shinto belief and is associated with rice and agricultural abundance, reflecting the historical importance of rice cultivation in Japan.
Hand Poke Kitsune Tattoo
Hand-poke or stick-and-poke tattoos are a traditional tattooing technique predating modern electric tattoo machines.
They are created by manually applying ink to the skin using a sharp object, often a sterilized needle, rather than an electric tattoo machine.
The tattoo artist dips the needle into the ink and repeatedly punctures the skin to create the desired design.
This method requires precision, patience, and steady hands.
While the process is slower than a machine, it allows for fine control and careful attention to detail.
Where To Get Your Kitsune Tattoo
Design is one thing, but you also need to consider where you want to get your potential new ink. So, let’s take a look at some of the best locations for your Kitsune Tattoo.
Kitsune Arm Tattoo
The arm is one of the most popular locations to get your Kitsune Tattoo.
The arm has a lot of muscle and fat, which will help protect you from pain from the tattooing gun.
This location is also great as you can easily show off and conceal the design
Forearm With Kitsune Tattoo
The Forearm, like the arm, is a terrific place to get inked if you are afraid of pain.
This location has a lot of fat and muscle to help dampen the needle pain. Unlike the upper arm, the forearm is far easier to show off.
However, it is also harder to hide, requiring you to wear a long sleeve shirt if you are required to hide it.
Clavicle Kitsune Tattoo
Due to its proximity to the collarbone, the clavicle is going to be a rather painful location to get your Kitsune Tattoo.
These tattoos often exude a sense of elegance and can be used to frame the neckline beautifully.
They can add a delicate and artistic touch, especially for intricate or minimalist designs.
Kitsune Tattoo On The Leg
The leg is another fantastic place to get a Kitsune Tattoo if you want to show if off frequently.
Unlike the arm, which can be shown off relatively easily by rolling up and down your sleeve, the leg may be more challenging, requiring you to wear shorts rather than long pants.
Back Kitsune Tattoo
Last but not least, the back is the place to go if you’re looking for large and expansive designs.
The back is a huge canvas with a ton of space, so you can choose to go wild with your design.
Conclusion
So ends our mystical journey through the world of the Kitsune Tattoo. We hope you have been fox-cinated by these enchanting designs.
But hey, if Kitsune Tattoos still don’t inspire you, why not check out these Lion Tattoo ideas, these Wolf Tattoo designs or these Elephant Tattoos.
