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Graves of the forty-seven Ronin at Sengaku-ji

Ronin robbing a merchant's house in Japan around 1860 (1)

A rōnin (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 (as in the case of death in a war), or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1500x1203, 502 KB) Summary Graves of Forty-seven Ronin at Sengaku-ji, Takanawa, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1500x1203, 502 KB) Summary Graves of Forty-seven Ronin at Sengaku-ji, Takanawa, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. ... Incense burns at the burial graves of the 47 Ronin at Sengaku-ji. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (964x594, 56 KB) Photo from Sketches of Japanese Manners and Customs, by J. M. W. Silver, Illustrated by Native Drawings, Reproduced in Fac-simile by Means of Chromo-lithography, published in London in 1867 Source: Project Gutenberg: This eBook is for... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (964x594, 56 KB) Photo from Sketches of Japanese Manners and Customs, by J. M. W. Silver, Illustrated by Native Drawings, Reproduced in Fac-simile by Means of Chromo-lithography, published in London in 1867 Source: Project Gutenberg: This eBook is for... Ronin may refer to: Ronin, a masterless samurai Green Ronin Publishing, company based in Seattle, WA, USA Ronin Arts, role-playing game company owned by Philip J. Reed and Christopher Shy Ronin Publishing, small company which published two supplements Ronin (comic), graphic novel by Frank Miller in which a ronin... For other uses, see Samurai (disambiguation). ... Feudalism comes from the Late Latin word feudum, itself borrowed from a Germanic root *fehu, a commonly used term in the Middle Ages which means fief, or land held under certain obligations by feodati. ...

Etymology

The word rōnin literally means "drifting person". The term originated in the Nara and Heian periods, when it referred to a serf who had fled or deserted his master's land. It then came to be used for a samurai who had lost his master. The Nara period ) of the history of Japan covers the years from about AD 710 to 784. ... The following text needs to be harmonized with text in the article History of Japan#Heian Period. ... Costumes of Slaves or Serfs, from the Sixth to the Twelfth Centuries, collected by H. de Vielcastel, from original Documents in the great Libraries of Europe. ...

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.^{[citation needed]} 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). Japanese samurai in armor, 1860s. ... Seppuku (Japanese: 切腹, belly-cutting) is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. ... Daimyo Matsudaira Katamori visits the residence of a retainer. ...

Like regular samurai, ronin wore their two swords. An Edo-era daisho on its stand. ...

During the Edo period, with the shogunate's rigid class system and laws, the number of ronin greatly increased. Confiscation of fiefs during the rule of the third Tokugawa shogun Iemitsu resulted in an especially large increase of ronin. During previous ages, samurai were easily able to move between masters and even between occupations. They would also marry between classes. However, during the Edo period, samurai were restricted, 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. The Edo period ), also called Tokugawa period, is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868. ... This page is about the Japanese ruler and military rank. ... Social class describes the relationships between people in hierarchical societies or cultures. ... Tokugawa Iemitsu (previously spelled Iyemitsu); 徳川 家光 (August 12, 1604 — June 8, 1651) was the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty who reigned from 1623 to 1651. ...

History

Famous ronin Miyamoto Musashi having his fortune told.

In the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, when warriors held lands that they occupied, a ronin was a warrior who had lost his lands. During these periods, as small-scale wars frequently occurred throughout Japan, the daimyo needed to augment their armies, so ronin had opportunities to serve new masters. Also, some ronin joined in bands, engaging in robbery and uprisings. Download high resolution version (428x640, 113 KB)Picture of Miyamoto Musashi getting his fortune told. ... Download high resolution version (428x640, 113 KB)Picture of Miyamoto Musashi getting his fortune told. ... This is a Japanese name; the family name is Miyamoto Miyamoto Musashi ) (c. ... The following text needs to be harmonized with text in the article History of Japan#Kamakura Period. ... The Muromachi period (Japanese: 室町時代, Muromachi-jidai, also known as the Muromachi era, the Muromachi bakufu, the Ashikaga era, the Ashikaga period, or the Ashikaga bakufu) is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. ... Daimyo Matsudaira Katamori visits the residence of a retainer. ...

Especially in the Sengoku period, daimyo needed additional fighting men, and even if one's master had perished, a ronin was able to serve a new lord. In contrast to the later Edo period, the bond between the lord and the samurai was loose, and some samurai who were dissatisfied with their treatment left their masters and sought new lords. Many warriors served a succession of masters, and some even became daimyo. As an example, Tōdō Takatora served ten lords. Additionally, the division of the population into classes had not yet taken place, so it was possible to change one's occupation from warrior to merchant or farmer, or the reverse. Saitō Dōsan was one merchant who rose through the warrior ranks to become a daimyo. “Sengoku” redirects here. ... The Edo period ), also called Tokugawa period, is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868. ... Tōdō Takatora and the castle of Imabari Tōdō Takatora ) (1556-1630) was a Japanese Daimyo or Lord following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 16th century. ... Saito Dosan (æ–Žè—¤ 道三 1494-1556) was the epitome of the daimyo that dramatically rose and also fell from power in Sengoku period Japan. ...

As Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified progressively larger parts of the country, daimyo found it unnecessary to recruit new soldiers. Next, the Battle of Sekigahara resulted in the confiscation or reduction of the fiefs of large numbers of daimyo on the losing side; in consequence, many samurai became ronin. As many as a hundred thousand ronin joined forces with Toyotomi Hideyori and fought at the Siege of Osaka. In the ensuing years of peace, there was less need to maintain expensive standing armies, and many surviving ronin turned to farming or became townspeople. A few, such as Yamada Nagamasa, sought adventure overseas as mercenaries. Still, the majority lived in poverty as ronin. Under the third Tokugawa shogun Iemitsu, their number approached half a million. This is a Japanese name; the family name is Toyotomi Toyotomi Hideyoshi ) February 2, 1536 or March 26, 1537 – September 18, 1598) was a sengoku daimyo who unified Japan. ... Combatants Forces loyal to Toyotomi Hideyori, many clans from Western Japan Forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Clans of Eastern Japan Commanders Ishida Mitsunari, Mōri Terumoto, others Tokugawa Ieyasu, others Strength 81,890 88,888 Casualties At least 40,000 dead Otani Yoshitsugu Shimazu Toyohisa Unknown; but not excessive The Battle... Grave of Toyotomi Clan at Mount Koya Toyotomi Hideyori (豊臣 秀頼 Toyotomi Hideyori), 1593-1615, was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first united all of Japan. ... Combatants Tokugawa shogunate Toyotomi clan Commanders Tokugawa Ieyasu Toyotomi Hideyori Strength 164,000 (winter) 150,000 (summer) 113,000 (winter) 60,000 (summer) Inscription on bell at Hokoji in Kyoto The Siege of Osaka ), more commonly called ), was a series of battles undertaken by the Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi... Portrait of Yamada Nagamasa c. ... Tokugawa Iemitsu (previously spelled Iyemitsu); 徳川 家光 (August 12, 1604 — June 8, 1651) was the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty who reigned from 1623 to 1651. ...

Initially, the shogunate viewed them as dangerous, and banished them from the cities or restricted the quarters where they could live. They also prohibited serving new masters. As ronin found themselves with fewer and fewer options, they joined in the Keian Uprising. This forced the shogunate to rethink its policy. It relaxed restrictions on daimyo inheritance, resulting in fewer confiscations of fiefs; and it permitted ronin to join new masters. The Tokugawa shogunate or Tokugawa bakufu (徳川幕府) (also known as the Edo bakufu) was a feudal military dictatorship of Japan established in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family until 1868. ... The Keian uprising (慶安事件, Keian Jiken) was a military action by ronin against the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. ...

Among the most famous ronin are Miyamoto Musashi, the famed swordsman, and the Forty-seven Ronin. This is a Japanese name; the family name is Miyamoto Miyamoto Musashi ) (c. ... Incense burns at the burial graves of the 47 Ronin at Sengaku-ji. ...

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. Etymology: Late Latin humiliatus, past participle of humiliare, from Latin humilis low. ... 1867 edition of the satirical magazine Punch, a British satirical magazine, ground-breaking on popular literature satire. ...

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 the Chōshū Domain, but was refused. Wanting to serve no other master, and hating being a ronin, he had decided to kill himself. Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford (1837 - 1916) of Batsford Park, Gloucestershire, and Birdhope Craig, Northumberland, was an English diplomat, collector and writer. ... ChōshÅ« Han ) was a feudal Domain of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1867 occupying the whole of modern day Yamaguchi Prefecture. ...

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). Kyokutei Bakin (曲亭馬琴) (1767–1848) was the pen name for Japanese author Takizawa Okikuni (瀧澤興邦), best known for his 106-volume literary opus Satomi and the Eight Dogs (南総里見八犬傳 Nansō Satomi Hakkenden). ...

Portrayals in media

Thousands of modern works of Japanese fiction set in the Edo period cast characters who are ronin. They are often portrayed as yojimbo (bodyguards) or as mercenary fighters. Another stereotypical occupation for fictional ronin is the umbrella-maker. In Japanese, Yojimbo (用心棒; Yōjinbō) is a bodyguard, security person or sometimes assassin. ...

Bound and dedicated men, most samurai resented the personal freedom that the wandering ronin enjoyed. Ronin were the epitome of self-determination; they were independent men who dictated their own path in life, answering only to themselves and making decisions as they saw fit. An epitome (Greek epitemnein—to cut short) is a summary or miniature form, also used as a synonym for embodiment. ...

Akira Kurosawa's films Seven Samurai and Yojimbo are two widely known examples of jidaigeki in which such ronin figure prominently. Akira Kurosawa , 23 March 1910—6 September 1998) was a prominent Japanese film director, film producer, and screenwriter. ... For other uses, see Seven Samurai (disambiguation). ... Yōjimbō 用心棒 is a 1961 film by Akira Kurosawa, in which a ronin, portrayed by Toshiro Mifune, arrives at a small town with competing crime lords making their money from gambling, and convinces each crime lord to hire him as protection from the other. ... Jidaigeki (時代劇) is a genre of film and television in Japan. ...

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 Fistful of Dollars (Yojimbo) are western remakes of Akira Kurosawa's films. The 1998 film Ronin tells the story of a team of modern-day ronin. This article is about the actor/producer/director. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Magnificent Seven is a 1960 western film directed by John Sturges about a group of hired gunmen tasked with protecting a Mexican village from bandits. ... For other uses, see Seven Samurai (disambiguation). ... A Fistful of Dollars (Per un pugno di dollari in Italy and officially on-screen in the U.S. and UK as simply Fistful of Dollars) is a 1964 film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood. ... Yojimbo (Japanese: 用心棒, Yōjinbō) is a 1961 jidaigeki (period drama) film by Akira Kurosawa. ... Akira Kurosawa , 23 March 1910—6 September 1998) was a prominent Japanese film director, film producer, and screenwriter. ... Released in 1998, Ronin is an action/thriller that tells the story of a group of former intelligence agents who team up to steal a mysterious metal case. ...

Jorge Luis Borges devoted a short story to the Forty-seven Ronin. Incense burns at the burial graves of the 47 Ronin at Sengaku-ji. ...

"Ronin" as metaphor

Main article: Rōnin (student)

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. In Japan, a rōnin ) is a student who has graduated from middle school or high school but has failed to enter a school at the next level, and consequently is studying outside of the school system for entrance in a future year. ... In Japan, a rōnin ) is a student who has graduated from middle school or high school but has failed to enter a school at the next level, and consequently is studying outside of the school system for entrance in a future year. ... For other uses, see High school (disambiguation). ... For the community in Florida, see University, Florida. ...

See also

• Black Knight
• Forty-Seven Ronin