Hannya mask tattoo: among peonies, with a snake, in clouds

Nine hannya mask tattoo designs on white paper: the Noh mask of a woman turned demon by jealousy, set among large peony blossoms, coiled round by a snake, and tilted among swirling clouds and wind bars. The hannya is a classic of Japanese irezumi, worn on the back, the thigh or the upper arm. Type a different mask or a twist, such as a koi, and the same styles carry it.

• a back piece in the irezumi tradition
• a thigh or upper arm design
• a Japanese mask for a design collection
• a design sheet to show the artist

Frequently asked questions

What do the nine designs show?

Three hannya subjects drawn three ways: the mask among peonies, the mask with a snake coiled through it and the mask in clouds and wind, in irezumi, fine line and blackwork.

Can I ask for a different mask or a twist?

Yes. The direction field takes any subject or twist, such as a koi; a typed direction is a request, so the result may differ from the samples.

What is the difference between the three styles?

Irezumi has confident black outlines, soft gradient shading and flat colour fields; fine line is one uniform hairline with almost no shading; blackwork is solid black with fine white lines cut through it.

Are these photographs of tattoos on skin?

No. Each design is a line drawing on a plain white background, with no skin, arm or body in it.

About toile

This page is a showcase and a starting point: nine samples already rendered, three readings of the pack crossed with three styles, each shown at the size and ratio it was made for. Take any of them further on the wall with a few words, or ask for all nine again under your own direction; a sign-in keeps what you make, and it is free while Toile is new. The recipe behind each sample — the subject, the style, the palette, the framing — travels with the image rather than staying private to the render: it is in the alt text of every sample and in the page's own structured data, so a search engine reads the same handles a person would.