侠客(きょうかく)

きょうかく
noun
chivalrous person; outlaw hero
historyculture
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(えど)の侠客(きょうかく)たちの物語(ものがたり)は人気(にんき)がある。
Stories of Edo-era chivalrous outlaws are popular.
彼(かれ)は侠客(きょうかく)のように弱(よわ)い者(もの)を助(たす)ける男(おとこ)だ。
He is a man who helps the weak, like a chivalrous hero.
時代劇(じだいげき)に登場(とうじょう)する侠客(きょうかく)は、義理(ぎり)と人情(にんじょう)を重(おも)んじる姿(すがた)で庶民(しょみん)の支持(しじ)を集(あつ)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(しみず)の次郎長(じろちょう) and 国定(くにさだ)忠治(ちゅうじ). The concept is deeply rooted in Edo-period popular culture and continues to appear in 時代劇(じだいげき) (period dramas) and 任侠(にんきょう) films.

Common collocations

  • 侠客(きょうかく)映画(えいが): chivalrous outlaw film
  • 侠客(きょうかく)気質(かたぎ): chivalrous temperament
  • 侠客(きょうかく)の道(みち): the way of the chivalrous outlaw

Similar words

  • 任侠(にんきょう): chivalry/gallantry — the code or ethos itself rather than the person; also used as a genre label for yakuza films
  • 義賊(ぎぞく): 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

Related Words

Compare: 任侠(にんきょう) (chivalry/gallantry)
Compare: やくざ (yakuza)
general
Added 2026.4.19 19:12 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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