Ronin

Rōnin (浪) is a Japanese word which refers to a master-less samurai dating back to the feudal society of Japan (12th to 19th centuries). A samurai in Japan’s feudal structure would be somewhat equivalent to the “knights” of medieval Europe – in other words, they were honorable military men who, at the service of the nobility, held higher positions in the class ranks of feudal societies. In Japan, a rōnin referred to samurai without a master or overlord due to either death of the master or because, for some reason, he lost his privileges or position with his master (or perhaps the samurai simply went rogue). The term rōnin translates to “wave man” in reference to the samurai’s state of floating or drifting in society without master and home. By the way, we should mention, the term “rōnin” was not exactly an honorable one for the holder – it was generally considered one of shame since a masterless samurai was expected to perform a ritualistic suicide rather than choose life without his feudal lord. During the 200+ years of Japan’s Edo Period (1603-1868), rōnins became a lot more commonplace due to the overly strict and prohibitive class rules placed on samurais. Remember James Clavell’s 1975 novel “Shōgun”? With more rōnins in a more restrictive society, they eventually developed an even more disgracefully dangerous reputation as their engagement in gang-style criminal activity increased. In some ways it’s hard to blame them. Rōnins were basically society-rejects with no other choice but to create their own identities and destinies. They basically had to roll with the “waves”.