Shōgun: What Is a Rōnin, Explained

Shōgun Episode 2, “Servants of Two Masters,” references a Japanese term that will sound vaguely familiar to many English-speaking viewers: rōnin. So what exactly is a rōnin in the context of Shōgun‘s feudal Japan setting?

Related: Shōgun: What Does Hatamoto Mean?

What Is a Rōnin in FX’s Shōgun?

In “Servants of Two Masters,” John Blackthorne discovers the existence of a secret Portuguese military base in Macao guarded by a bunch of rōnin. It’s a word that occasionally pops up in wider pop culture – there’s even a 1998 Robert DeNiro vehicle titled Ronin – which begs the question: what is a rōnin?

In Japanese, rōnin translates to “unrestrained person,” and is the name for a wandering, masterless samurai. Becoming a rōnin was a big deal, as samurai were expected to commit ritual suicide (seppuku) when their master died. Yet some chose not to, living on as rōnin, instead. Samurai were also occasionally cut off from their clan after a falling out with their master, and again, some opted not to end their lives in line with accepted convention. Either way, rōnin status was associated with tremendous social shame.

Related: Shōgun: Episode 1’s Seppuku Scene, Explained

That said, in some eras, having no master (or even switching masters) was less of an issue – particularly when civil wars were going on. But as the Sengoku period depicted in Shōgun gave way to the Edo period, the social stigma around rōnin status reasserted itself. This wasn’t helped by the limited career opportunities available to a rōnin, either. The law prevented them from plying a new trade, so those who couldn’t find work as mercenaries or bodyguards often became bandits or underworld heavies.

This explains why the Portuguese have staffed their hidden outpost with rōnin in Shōgun: because they’re effectively feudal Japan’s rent-a-cop equivalent. And given these rōnin are apparently Catholic converts, whatever loyalty they still possess presumably rests with the Portuguese church, rather than local lords like Yoshii Toranaga or Ishido Kazunari.

Shōgun is currently airing on FX, with new episodes dropping Tuesdays.