Ronin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Ronin (disambiguation).
A ronin (浪人 rōnin?) was a masterless samurai during the feudal period (1185–1868) of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the ruin or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege. Since a ronin doesn't serve any lord, he is no longer a samurai. A samurai is a "servant", since the noun came from the verb "saburau" which is the Japanese for "to serve".
The word ronin literally means "wave person" - one who is tossed about, as on the waves in the sea. The term originated in the Nara and Heian periods, when it originally referred to serfs who had fled or deserted their master's land. It is also a term used for samurai who had lost their masters in wars.
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[edit] History
During the Edo period, the shogunate confiscated the lands of many daimyo, and as a result, the number of ronin greatly increased. In earlier ages, samurai had been easily able to move between masters and even between occupations, and to marry between classes. However, during the Edo period, samurai were restricted from doing so, and were forbidden to become employed by another master without their previous master's permission. Also, many low-level samurai, often poor and without choice, were forced to quit or escape their master.
Among the most famous ronin are Miyamoto Musashi, the famed swordsman, and the Forty-Seven Ronin.
Not having the status or power of employed samurai, ronin were often disreputable, and the group was a target of humiliation or satire. It was undesirable to be a ronin, as it meant being without a stipend.
As an indication of the humiliation felt by samurai who became ronin, Lord Redesdale recorded that a ronin killed himself at the graves of the Forty-Seven Ronin. He left a note saying that he had tried to enter the service of the daimyo of Chōshū, but was refused. Wanting to serve no other master, and hating being a ronin, he had decided to kill himself.
[edit] Ronin in fiction
In modern works of fiction, ronin are often portrayed as yojimbo or as mercenary fighters. Akira Kurosawa's films The Seven Samurai and Yojimbo are two widely known examples of jidaigeki that feature ronin. Thousands of other works of Japanese fiction, set in the Edo period, likewise have characters who are ronin.
Ronin appeared in Age of Empires III, the anime Tsukikage Ran (featuring a female ronin), Samurai Champloo, Rurouni Kenshin, and Final Fantasy X. Ronin Warriors was the American title of an animated series.
Ronin have influenced western movies. Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name closely resembles a ronin. The movie The Magnificent Seven, a western remake of The Seven Samurai, involves seven wandering men who are hired to protect a town against bandits.
[edit] "Ronin" as metaphor
Image:Robbing a rich merchants house-J. M. W. Silver.jpg The term rōnin is also used in modern Japan for those who have failed the entrance examination for a university (or other school). This use derives from their having no school to attend, as a ronin samurai has no leader to serve.
[edit] "Ronin" (in metaphoric senses) in fiction and pop culture
- Ronin is a 1998 movie set in 20th century Europe, directed by John Frankenheimer. Former Cold War-era intelligence agents find themselves masterless warriors who seek both honour and survival.
- In comics, Ronin is a graphic novel by Frank Miller in which a Ronin is re-incarnated in a dystopic future New York. Ronin is also the name of a new member of the Avengers. The longest running American comic book featuring this kind of character is Usagi Yojimbo.
- The videogame series Final Fantasy X has several homages to Ronin warriors, featuring at least two major characters inspired by them: Auron and Yojimbo
[edit] See also
es:Rōnin fr:Rōnin id:Ronin it:Ronin ms:Ronin nl:Ronin (samurai) ja:浪人 (武士) pl:Rōnin pt:Ronin (samurai) ru:Ронин simple:Ronin fi:Rōnin sv:Ronin th:โรนิง tr:Ronin
