1.
chivalrous person; outlaw hero
a person who acts with a code of honor to protect the weak and stand up against injustice, often operating outside the law
江戸の侠客たちの物語は人気がある。
Stories of Edo-era chivalrous outlaws are popular.
彼は侠客のように弱い者を助ける男だ。
He is a man who helps the weak, like a chivalrous hero.
時代劇に登場する侠客は、義理と人情を重んじる姿で庶民の支持を集めた。
The chivalrous outlaws in period dramas won the common people's support through their devotion to duty and compassion.
A historical term for Robin Hood-like figures in Japanese culture — people who operated outside the law but followed a personal code of honor, protecting the weak and opposing tyranny. Famous examples include 清水の次郎長 and 国定忠治. The concept is deeply rooted in Edo-period popular culture and continues to appear in 時代劇 (period dramas) and 任侠 films.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 侠客映画: chivalrous outlaw film
- 侠客気質: chivalrous temperament
- 侠客の道: the way of the chivalrous outlaw
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 任侠: chivalry/gallantry — the code or ethos itself rather than the person; also used as a genre label for yakuza films
- 義賊: righteous thief — a thief who steals from the rich to give to the poor
- やくざ: yakuza — modern organized crime; while historically connected, lacks the romanticized honor code