character
Japanese
Rōnin
lit. “wave-man, drifter”
A masterless samurai — an independent, unattached, often dangerous figure.
Origin
When a samurai's lord died or fell from favor, the samurai became a rōnin, free of feudal duty and without steady income. The most famous story is The 47 Rōnin (1701–1703), a true tale of loyal retainers avenging their executed master. The figure became a fixture of Japanese drama and, later, the lone-hero archetype in Westerns and noir.
Modern usage
Used in business and creative writing for someone deliberately operating without an employer or institution — 'going rōnin' is the consultant version of going freelance.
Tags
independence
outsider
japan