What is a Sak Yant tattoo?


Yantra tattooing (Thai: สักยันต์) is a form of tattooing that originated among the Tai tribes of southwestern China and north-western Vietnam over 2,000 years ago. It consists of sacred geometrical, animal and deity designs accompanied by Pali-Sanskrit phrases that offer power, protection, fortune, charisma and other benefits for the bearer. Sak means tattoo in Thai, and Yant is the Thai pronunciation for the Pali-Sanskrit word yantra, a type of mystical diagram used in Dharmic religions.

Sak Yant designs are traditionally tattooed by a Khru Sak (tattoo master), being either a Buddhist monk or layman. A properly trained and morally fit Khru Sak bears the title Arjarn (teacher, master or scholar) and is addressed as such.

Sak Yants today are applied by hand with a metal rod sharpened to a point while previously bamboo sticks were used. Sanskrit is no longer used for the Yants but are written in an ancient Khmer script called Khom. In some regions, other scripts are used.


My Interest in Sak Yant

Having several other tattoos, I’ve always had an interest in other people’s tattoos. Having visited Thailand many times, Sak Yants are hard to miss. Whilst browsing a bookstore in Bangkok, the book Sacred Skin caught my attention; this got me learning more about Sak Yants and the culture surrounding it. Quite a while had passed before I picked up the book again at home and decided to use my upcoming trip to Thailand to get my own Sak Yant. I purchased two other books to read about and, more importantly, see more Sak Yant tattoos. Then my hunt on the internet began to see where and how you can actually get one.

As I mentioned before, traditional Sak Yants are done by either Monks or Arjarns. Lately regular tattoo shops have also jumped in to expand their business and will tattoo Sak Yant-style images using a modern tattoo gun, however I didn’t consider this as an option. From my research it became apparent that getting a Sak Yant done by monk in a temple is not the easiest option with language barriers, long waits and sometimes less-hygienic circumstances. Traditionally monks will not let you choose the Sak Yant you will get; lately this seems no longer always the case.

It turned out there are quite a number of Arjarns who got into Sak Yant tattooing on a (more or less) full time basis. Some of them will speak English, while others still require the assistance of a local guide. They cater for a more customised experience and often have a wide collection of examples available and use new/sterile needles and ink for each individual. Some of these Arjarns are very popular and I approached some who were not available in the week I was visiting Thailand.

Through a Facebook group I got introduced to the work of Arjarn Watt. I instantly liked the precision of his work and thus he moved to the top of my list. An Australian member of this Facebook groups introduced me to his Thai girlfriend Pai, who often helps foreigners get Sak Yants from Arjarn Watt.  After a few messages back and forth and the checking of schedules, the date was set!

By this time, I had evolved from getting a single tattoo, to 3 different ones and had a rough idea what they would have to be.

My Sak Yant Experience

On the day, me and my Thai friend, who I brought for support and possible additional translating, travelled to Sai Noi, Nonthaburi, about 1.5 hours outside of the centre of Bangkok to Arjarn Watt’s place. Pai travelled up all the way from Hua Hin to meet us there. I was given lots of books with different Sak Yant examples and together with my earlier research, Pai and Arjarn Watt’s wife we came to some decisions for my two back tattoos. For my arm, I wanted to consult with Arjarn Watt himself, so I would get exactly what I wanted.

In his house, one area is set up as a shrine-like studio with a backdrop of Buddha statues and Ruesi masks.  Before we could get started, I had to make merit by presenting an offering to Buddha, lighting incense sticks and making a (silent) prayer wishing.

After the prayer it was time to get started. Arjarn Watt started out drawing some lines on my back and applying a grid-like stencil, to ensure the ‘Gao Yord’ would go on straight. Together we determined the right position of the highest peak and work downwards from there. Now the actual tattooing could start. I must say, tattooing by hand actually is less painful than machine tattooing. Only the spots right on the spine were painful, but the rest was rather mild, during my third tattoo I almost fell asleep. I was also surprised by the speed of things; the first two lines of text were done in no time. The biggest problem I encountered during the whole process was that we westerners are not used to sitting on the floor. Therefore, my legs and feet would go numb, requiring us to stop at intervals for me to get up and get the blood flowing again. At one point my legs were so numb I almost fell over trying to stand up.  Halfway through, coffee orders were taken and Pai went off to get us some refreshments. When the ‘Gao Yord’ was completed, Pai set off again to get us a lunch, Pad Krapao Moo for me of course.


Arjarn Watt decided we had enough time to do my arm while we waited for lunch.  With just a few lines from a marker as a guide, he completed this Sak Yant in freehand with a typewriter like accuracy. I could watch the process up close, as it was not on my back. I was very impressed by the level of detail.


After lunch it was time to do make the offering to Arjarn Watt, where you put both money and some other small items in a dish and offer this to the Arjarn. He will do a prayer to accept the dish with offerings. This is the moment he gets paid for his work.


Time to move on to the Double Tigers, the biggest piece. Again, a stencil was applied to make sure the rough outlines were in the right position on my lower back. This was a long sitting with a number of stretching sessions, probably close to 4 hours. After this was completed it was time for a short break with some much-needed chocolate.

To finish things off, Arjarn Watt did a blessing of all the tattoos. This is the moment the Sak Yants will get “activated” and receive their powers. During this blessing, which felt like it took about 20 minutes, one must silently say:

Nah Moh Tah Sah, Pha Kha Wah Toh, Ar Rah Ha Toh, Sam Ma Sam Phud Tha Sah
Nah Moh Tah Sah, Pha Kha Wah Toh, Ar Rah Ha Toh, Sam Ma Sam Phud Tha Sah
Nah Moh Tah Sah, Pha Kha Wah Toh, Ar Rah Ha Toh, Sam Ma Sam Phud Tha Sah
So Phi Toh, Nah Moh Phud Tha Yah, Soh Tha Yah Khong Khong Ar.

I admit this was a very long session in an uncomfortable position and I quickly forgot my lines.


After all was done, it was time for Khob Kuhn Krabs all around and time to head back into the city. I was completely exhausted after about 8 hours of poking.


My Yants

Gao Yord
The Yant that many will have done first is ‘Gao Yord’, the Nine Peaks. The Nine Peaks represent the nine sacred peaks of the mountain containing the nine symbolic images of the Buddha. The Buddha is symbolised by nine ovals (find another source to adjust this to my situation). It is believed that this tattoo, empowered with highly protective magic, is able to repel evil actions. The ‘Gao Yord’ is generally placed on the nape of the neck.


Double Tigers – Yant Sua Koo
A tiger tattoo does not represent the animal itself but rather its spirit, the tiger being a symbol of power, strenght and fearlessness. This Yant is a favourite with policemen, soldiers and Muay Thai fighters. According to Sak Yant masters, when a tiger is tattooed on a person’s lower back, the life of the wearer will be controlled by the tiger’s spirit.


Yant Nah Phad Tah Lod
This Sak Yant was actually based on a shape which was similar to one that Pai had, but customised to my personal “goal” for the Yant and of course Arjarn Witts style. The Yant will offer me protection from all hazards. I could witness Arjarn Watt tattoing this on my arm, and was very impressed with the perfect freehand writing. Obviously, I’m very happy with this special piece. 


Sources

Both my inspiration and the background information above was gathered from the following publications:
Facebook links: