Many other rōnin became criminals, operating as bandits and highwaymen, or joining organized crime in towns and cities.
Those rōnin who desired steady, legal employment became mercenaries that guarded trade caravans, or bodyguards for wealthy merchants. 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.īecause the former samurai could not legally take up a new trade, or because of pride were loath to do so, many rōnin looked for other ways to make a living with their swords. During previous ages, samurai were able to move between masters and even between occupations. Confiscation of fiefs during the rule of the third Tokugawa shōgun Iemitsu resulted in an especially large increase of rōnin. Most weapons would reflect the ryū (martial arts school) from which they came if they were students.ĭuring the Edo period, with the shogunate's rigid class system and laws, the number of rōnin greatly increased. Some rōnin-usually those who lacked money-would carry a bō (staff around 1.5 to 1.8 m (5 to 6 ft)) or jō (smaller staff or walking stick around 0.9 to 1.5 m (3 to 5 ft)) or a yumi (bow). Rōnin used a variety of other weapons as well. Like other samurai, rōnin wore two swords. The undesirability of rōnin status was mainly a discrimination imposed by other samurai and by daimyō, the feudal lords.
One who chose not to honor the code was "on his own" and was meant to suffer great shame. Status Īccording to the Bushido Shoshinshu (the "Code of the Warrior"), a samurai was supposed to commit seppuku (also harakiri, "belly cutting", a form of ritual suicide) upon the loss of his master. It then came to be used for a samurai who had no master (hence the term "wave man" illustrating one who is socially adrift). In medieval times, the Ronin were depicted as the shadows of samurai, master-less and less honorable. 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 is an idiomatic expression for "vagrant" or "wandering man", someone who finds the way without belonging to one place. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.The word rōnin literally means "wave man". I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. While these details aren't mandatory, if you want to get the best games, having them in your post will immensely help users and will encourage more users to participate, as they will know with more precision which games are probably the best fit for your request. Your level of experience with the genre (beginner, intermediate, veteran.) - others can recommend you more common titles if you are a beginner, while they can focus on obscure titles if you are a RPG veteran.Īspects you enjoyed (or disliked) of previously played games - for example: characters, plot points, puzzles, combat, graphics, art styles, soundtracks. The platforms you have - not listing them doesn't mean you have access to everything, so you might end up getting a game you won't be able to play.
Since your post has been flaired as "Recommendation request", I want to suggest editing your post to add in these details (if you haven't included them yet): Thank you for your submission to r/rpg_gamers.