Ronin - Le Samouraï Sans Maître - Histoire du Japon

The life of a samurai is full of duties and rules of conduct. It was a life spent in the service of a feudal lord, whom the samurai had to obey and whom he had to protect at all costs. Samurais were irreplaceable warriors in these troubled times and made all the difference on the battlefields. However, even wars have an end, and what are the warriors for if there is no battle to be fought? The soldiers of lower ranks returned to their lives in the plantations and occupied ordinary jobs, but the demobilized samurais did not have many other options in life. Most of them could not bear the shame of seeing their stature backwarded and preferred to escape this world by committing suicide while maintaining their dignity. Some managed to adapt to the evolution of time and earn their living by doing business or by opening academies to teach the art of the sword. On the other hand, those who could do nothing but fight were left in uncertainty. The ancient samurais traveled through Japan in search of a job that required strength or an intimidating presence. They were called ronin, that is, wavy men, because they could not stay in the same place for a long time and disperse like the waves of the ocean. The ronins always wore two swords at their waist, but they no longer had the authority of the samurais. In fact, many ronins were despised by Japanese society because most ordinary people disapproved of the samurais. They took the opportunity to dispel their frustration over those who had lost their title of nobility. It was therefore very difficult for a ronin to find an honest job and many had to sell their goods like armor pieces and even one of their swords to survive. Becoming a ronin was not a way of life that one chose voluntarily. To regain the title of samurai, many ronins began to challenge famous swordsmen and win fights, thus acquiring glory and renown and improving their chances of being hired by a feudal lord. The ronins agreed to work as gauge killers, mercenaries and tax collectors. They sometimes formed groups to attack government convoys and steal money and other valuables. It was also a way to take revenge on feudal lords. The history of the 47 ronins is one of the most fascinating. Demio Asano received the order to become a seppuku after offending and assaulting Lord Kira Yoshinaka during a ceremony at the Shogun's Palace. The 47 samurais at the service of Asano were forbidden to follow their lord in death as was the custom of the time and were denied their function as ronins. Refusing to accept such an unfair treatment, the 47 ronins hid for three years and came up with a plan to take revenge on Lord Kira. Finally, when they launched their attack, the ronins invaded Lord Kira's manor. The guards found themselves defenseless against the avenging ronins and after killing Lord Kira, they were finally allowed to follow their master and all became seppuku to regain their honor. The history of the 47 ronins is well known throughout Japan and is considered as an example of honor surpassing titles and injustice.