1.
masterless samurai; ronin
A samurai who has lost or left his lord and so has no fixed stipend. A historical word, met mostly in accounts of the Edo period and the Bakumatsu years.
A historical word for a samurai without a master. It appears mainly in the names of famous groups and in history writing.
Common expressions
- 赤穂浪士: the forty-seven ronin of Akō, the heroes of 忠臣蔵
- 浪士組: the band of ronin that became the 新選組
- 脱藩浪士: a ronin who had fled his domain
Similar words
- 浪人: the everyday word for the same thing; today it also means a student who failed the entrance exams and is preparing to retake them. 浪士 has no modern sense and sounds more dignified.