Hitting Monster

I'm not sure where it came from but Tesshin has started to hit. It's usually when we take something away from him (for his own safety, like a pair of chopsticks while he's running around the house) or when we have to stop an activity. It's always the first thing he does. He won't breakdown and cry but he'll come up to you and whack you. He'll hit me, Tessho, my mom, my dad..pretty much anyone who gets in his way. I read online that it's normal behavior at this age because he really can't express himself with words. This better be a phase because I am truly losing my patience with him. I don't want him to be labeled as "the kid that hits" so no one will play with him. At first I tried to ignore it. Maybe if he didn't get a reaction he would stop but he kept going - first the arm, then the shoulder, then the face. Oh no no no, after he hit ME in the face I was done. No more Nice Mama. I've tried grabbing his hand before and after he hits and saying "No Hitting" but he'll just hit me again. They say you have to be consistent, which we are. They also say to use time out. I'm not sure about that one. I'm more about doing things the old school way.