Rōnin

In the medieval Japan, the rōnin (ja 浪人, to pronounce “ro' nïn”) were Samurai S without Master.

Origin of the term

Rōnin literally means “wandering man” or “man-vagueness”. The term would date from the era Nara (710 - 794) and would then have indicated those which deserted their Masters, that it acted warlike or serfs.

The rōnin

The rōnin are former samurais excluded from the feudal Japanese company, for several reasons: the death of their lord, their own faults or their defeat with the combat. They thus became a kind of bet, not having a clean class in a company extremely hierarchical and based on relations of honesty towards a lord. The majority of them then turned worms of the humbler trades after the loss of their stronghold, while becoming Buddhist farmers or even priests wandering (ja 虚無僧, Komusō ), living alms. But some having difficulties in accept their new social position tried to rebel, even while turning to the banditism.

After the period Sengoku (1467   -   1568), the image of the samurais was degraded, and they were regarded as mercenaries with the pay of their Masters. It is at that time that the number of rōnin increased. The rōnin fought for their ideals. One often associated the image of the valiant knight knight to them.

It is especially at the time of the era Edo (1600   -   1868) that the number of rōnin was growing: the shogunat had indeed set up a rigid system which prohibited the samurais from changing Master, to marry out of their clan, or to have occupations external with the clan without the permission of their former Master whereas the rules were much more flexible under the old modes. In fact, the death or the ruin of its Master made almost impossible to the samurai to find some another and forced it to become rōnin .

The rōnin in the Japanese company

The rōnin had a bad reputation, counterbalanced however by many accounts with its glory. If the statute of rōnin were not very enviable because of the contempt and shame related to this situation, he was however sought by certain samurais who considered that it was about an experiment which very good samurai was to live in his life, faithful to the proverb Shichi ten hakki (ja 七転八起 - “to fall seven times and to be raised eight”). This proverb symbolizes perseverance vis-a-vis difficult situations or the vicissitudes of the existence. The samurai during his life could leave seven times during a mission “vagrancy” one year during which he lived like a rōnin before returning to serve his Master. Nevertheless, a samurai became more often rōnin because of circumstances beyond his control than because he aspired truly to this situation.

The rōnin were scorned and discriminated by the samurais who probably jalousaient their great personal freedom. However, they were respected by the lower classes, although the latter were wary nevertheless them: many accounts content history with a rōnin punishing arrogant samurais who tyrannized a village. In other stories, the villagers rent their services to defend themselves against gangsters (as in the film the seven samurais ). Often all the virtues with the samurai are associated for them, as the history testifies some to the 47 '' rōnin ''.

In spite of these epic stories, being rōnin was a great shame. Lord Redesdale, a British attached to Japan shortly after the restoration of the era Meiji (1868), told that at the time of its stay a rōnin had committed suicide on the tombs of the 47 rōnin (Lord Redesdale lived little far from this place). He left a word behind him saying that he had asked to enter to the service daimyō of Chōsū but had seen himself rejected. Not having wanted to serve as another Master and not supporting more shame associated with the abominable condition of rōnin he wanted to finish some with his life and did not find a place more adapted to do it. Lord Redesdale specified that he saw his own eyes the place one hour or two after the suicide and that blood was still by ground.

However, some rōnin forged a reputation and attracted each other the respect of all. It is in particular the case of Musashi Miyamoto which became the personification of the myth of the wandering samurai who goes from city downtown to sharpen his technique.

Other significances

Today this term appoints the students who fail their examination of entry the university and remain one or more years studied to pass by again it while hoping to be allowed. This use probably derives from the following analogy: they do not have any school, and a samurai rōnin does not have a Master to be useful. There is also a parallel between the shame of the original rōnin and its manner of dodging the examinations. By extension, one also calls rōnin a person with unemployment.

See too

Internal bonds

  • the Legend of the 47 rōnin is a tale adapted several times to the cinema in Japan;

  • Ronin is a film of John Frankenheimer, left in 1998;
  • Musashi Miyamoto , one of the most famous rōnin of Japan;
  • the film the Seven Samurais of Kurosawa, which inspired to the Seven Mercenaries of the cinema states-unien;
  • Ronin of Frank Miller, that Sylvain White must realize in 2007 for the cinema.

  • Ronin is also a character of the Univers Marvel.

Simple: Ronin

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