Ronin: where and why?

[Jay Luo]

If you are currently RPing your character as being ronin ... where did you become ronin, and why?

[Junko]

Shinjo Junko's Lord made an improper advance toward her. When she rejected him, she went to his Lord to inform him. Because the family could not bear the disgrace of such a story being told openly she was instead given he chance to become a Ronin, which she took, although with little grace or gratitude.

[Takezo]

I suppose Takezo's story is fairly well known:

Mirumoto Takezo, Champion of the Dragon, was among the most ardent and vocal of Toturi's supporters - when Hantei's supporters within the Dragon clan skillfully maneuvered the Clan's overall loyalties to Hantei, Takezo - rather than betraying his own loyalties or forcing the Clan to follow his own (dangerous) path - granted himself "musha shugyo", becoming Ronin and shugyosha.

While he left the Dragon leaderless, he felt that ultimately the best solution both for the Clan and for his own loyalties was to leave.

(As to location, presumably he announced his shugyosha in Shiro Mirumoto.)

[The Blue Ronin]

I thought Samurai on a musha shugyo weren't considered Ronin? (Even if their lifestyle is often very similar?)

[Takezo]

I suppose it's a bit of a grey area.

It doesn't seem to be mentioned in 4th Ed. L5R at all (at least not at a glance in the core book or Enemies of the Empire), but 3E and 3ER describe it under the heading "ronin". It's a warrior pilgrimage sans guidance, but of course "sanctioned" and with the possibility of return; Takezo's case is a rather odd situation (as it's rare for a clan champion to depart on a warrior pilgrimage!)

In every de facto sense, Takezo is a ronin, BUT he has (in principle) the option to return to the clan (though he would not do this until his mission to seat Toturi as the Emperor is accomplished) - so, "shugyosha".

[The Blue Ronin]

I don't think it's that grey. A Samurai on a Musha Shugyo may behave like a Ronin in some ways but he still wears the Clan mon, keeps his family name (if he has one), has the rights of a Clan member (including a general expectation of hospitality and freedom of movement in his Clan's lands) and will generally be treated as a member of that Clan by other people he meets. I think most Samurai on a Musha Shugyo would be hugely insulted if somebody described them as "a Ronin". Remember, Ronin usually get to be the way they are by somehow betraying, deserting, failing or otherwise poorly serving their lords. It's a title "earned" by some misdeed, not by a certain lifestyle.

Conversely the Ronin has no Lord, no place in the Celestial Order, no responsibilities and thus no real place in the society of the Empire. He can only gain membership in a Clan through heroic effort, not just by letting some theoretical clock run out.

The Samurai who takes a Musha Shugyo is essentially "playing" at being Ronin. It's like the difference between going hiking, and being homeless.

I can't speak for Takezo but I know if Ryumon was undertaking a Musha Shugyo and somebody described him as a "Ronin" it would be a duel-worthy offense.

[Shoju]

Well, Shoju is a Ronin because His goals, and Daigotsu's goals obviously don't line up. It worked as a way for me to continue to RP things that interested me, and to stay away from the Civil War stuff. Shoju would never have marched on the Crab Wall after what happened with the Spider at the beginning of the Civil War. That's ok. Shoju is going to die in the near future.

"The Ronin" is a ronin, because he has a terrible bout of Maho induced memory problems, his backstory paints him as the child of parents who followed Toturi during the Clan Wars, and what not. Had the shadow not stolen toturi shortly after his gempukku, he would have found a way into a clan.

[Kitsune Poxo]

The Blue Ronin - Your both right and wrong. While yes a samurai is not technically a ronin on the pilgrimage, he sets anything and everything that identifies him as a part of his family or clan. Dependance upon reputation or fear one's family and clan contradicts the quests general purpose. The purpose generally being to hone one's skills through such things as sustaining oneself through them and them alone.

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@original - My new character is a story of being daughter of a ronin and a geisha. So she is not a ronin by her choice as more a position of birth.

[Tamori Manji]

I'm not a ronin anymore but Manji did went ronin for a short period of time, before being accepted into the Dragon (I imagine it would be around a month, in game).

What happened was that a few Hantei loyalists within the Mantis (led at the time by Yoritomo Masamoto) needed a way to efficiently communicate with the Crane (who was protecting Toshi Ranbo). Also, Manji had been trying to make a joint effort between Clans supporting both Kaneka and Hantei to protect and evacuate civilians from areas afflicted by the war. In order to do both, he met with important members of his Clan (among them the daimyo of the Kitsune and the former Clan Champion) and they decided that, to avoid implicating the Mantis into any plot that could be associated with the Hantei and regarded as treason, a person without any Clan allegiance but aware of their plans would be needed. Since Manji was young and fairly unknown, he decided to relinquish his name in order to serve his Empire.

After his plans had been set in motion (and after he had already met with the more "unsavory" elements of it), he sent a letter to the Tamori daimyo (the family of his father) explaining his situation as asking for an opportunity to prove himself loyal. His plea was accepted and after meeting the Tamori daimyo (and undergoing a few trials to prove his worth) he was welcomed into the family.

[Kenji]

Although I don't participate much in the RP aspects of this forum, I try to keep a coherent character (even if it's a darling of the court - tensai - great potential : iaijutsu... hum, this is embarrassing).

Anyway, (Mirumoto) Kenji followed the same path than his former daïmyo and champion. His position is now quite awkward since he's a Dragon outcast and therefor a ronin, supporter of Toturi and of Imperial family by marriage.

May you live interesting times, so they say. You bet.