Ronin
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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 favour 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". (In a parallel development, the word "knight" also originally meant "servant" and its Dutch and German cognate "knecht" still means that.)
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[edit] Etymology
The word ronin literally means "wandering person". 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.
[edit] Status
According to the Bushido Shoshinshu (the Code of the Samurai), a ronin was supposed to commit oibara seppuku (also "hara kiri" – ritual suicide) upon the loss of his master. One who chose to not honor the code was "on his own" and was meant to suffer great shame. The undesirability of ronin status was mainly a discrimination imposed by other samurai and by the daimyo (the feudal lords).
A ronin was given equal respect to master-sponsored samurai by the general population and were actually preferred by Zen masters, artists, philosophers over their more obedient and faceless samurai counterparts[citation needed]. As thoroughly bound men, most samurai resented the personal freedom enjoyed by wandering ronin. Ronin were the epitome of self-determination; independent men who dictated their own path in life, answering only to themselves and making decisions as they saw fit. It is easy to understand why some hated them for this.
[edit] As bodyguards
When oppressive and corrupt feudal lords dominated Japan, Ronin were often the only means for villages to be liberated. Ronin might be hired as yojimbo (bodyguards or mercenary fighters) by villagers, often for no compensation other than a hot meal. There are many tales of just ronin, defending poor villagers against haughty, arrogant samurai who would kill anyone unlucky enough to offend.
During the greater than 250 years of the Edo period, with the shogunate's rigid class system and laws, the number of ronin greatly increased. During previous ages, samurai were easily able to move between masters and even between occupations, and marry between classes. However, during the Edo period, samurai were restricted from doing so, and were above all forbidden to become employed by another master without their previous master's permission. Also, low-level samurai, often poor and without choice, were forced to quit or escape their master.
Although it was considered undesirable to be a ronin during many periods of Japanese history, as it meant being without a stipend from a lord, it was also considered necessary to the life experience of any true samurai. There was once the expression, "Seven times down, eight times up," which signified that a samurai would be dispatched on a year-long wandering mission seven times over his career, each time returning to the service of his lord.
[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.
On the other hand, the famous 18th century writer Kyokutei Bakin renounced his allegiance to Matsudaira Nobunari, in whose service Bakin's samurai father had spent his life. Bakin became voluntarily a ronin, and eventually spent his time writing books (many of them about samurai).
[edit] Ronin in media
In modern works of fiction, ronin are often portrayed as yojimbo or as mercenary fighters. Akira Kurosawa's films 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, Battle Realms, 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 movies The Magnificent Seven (Seven Samurai) and A Fistfull of Dollars (Yojimbo) are western remakes of Akira Kurosawa's films which translate well.
- In the anime/manga series Naruto, the title character comes across many Ronin (also called Missing-nin), ninjas who have fled their countries and fight only for themselves or in separate groups. They are often criminals, such as Uchiha Itachi, who kills off his entire clan aside from his brother Sasuke before leaving the village.
[edit] "Ronin" as metaphor
The term rōnin is also used in modern Japan for those who have failed the yearly school entrance examinations for high school or university, and then decide to spend the next year studying to retake those exams. This use derives from their having no school to attend, as a ronin samurai has no leader to serve.
[edit] "Ronin" as metaphor 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 video game Final Fantasy X has several homages to Ronin warriors, featuring at least two major characters inspired by them: Auron and Yojimbo.
- Machinae Supremacy, a Swedish power metal/bitpop band, has made a song called Ronin. The song is also included in their Redeemer album.
- The online MMORPG, Kingdom of Loathing, has a phase after returning from Valhalla called "Ronin" where one's abilities are limited and cannot receive items from other players or buy them from the mall.
- The video game series Golden Sun has Ronin as the master level of the Samurai Class which is achieved using the right mix of Djinn.
- The manga and anime series Love Hina features the main character, Keitaro Urashima, who is described as a "ronin" (in the sense that he has not entered college), throughout most of the series.
- The cartoon series Ronin Warriors have young teenagers with the special ability to call up spirits of Ronin to save the world from a dark Shogun. It was popular in the 1980's, but is reguarded now as a cheesey example of anime-inspired cartoon.
- The Soul Calibur series character Heishiro Mitsurugi is often described as being a ronin, as he is a samurai with no master.
- Canadian Mixed Martial Artist Carlos Newton is nicknamed "The Ronin." In this case, "Ronin" refers not only to his training philosophy and methods, but reflects Newton's own interest in anime, Japanese history, and Japanese culture.
In the role-playing game Dungeons and dragons, Ronin are a prestige class mentioned in the supplement Complete Warrior. They are made of disgraced, dishonored, or masterless samurai who wander from place to place doing their own bidding. Like real Ronin, they are not respected by samurai. They also have a wide spectrum of behavior, some upholding good while some robbing and killing. A ronin may exchange his samurai levels for ronin levels if his samurai level is high enough, and can keep some of his samurai class features.
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