Introduction The term ronin refers to a samurai who lost his master and, as a result, his formal place within the feudal hierarchy of Japan. In a society structured around loyalty and service, this status represented a significant social and economic disruption. A samurai’s identity was closely tied to his […]

The Concept of Ronin The term ronin designates a samurai who no longer served a lord during Japan’s feudal era. Literally meaning “wave man,” the word evoked the image of a person adrift, moving without stable attachment. During the Edo period (1603–1868), when political authority consolidated under the Tokugawa shogunate, […]