WEBIn feudal Japan (1185–1868), a rōnin (/ ˈ r oʊ n ɪ n / ROH-nin; Japanese: 浪人, IPA:, 'drifter' or 'wanderer', lit. ' a person of the waves ') was a samurai who had no lord or master and in some cases, had also severed all links with his family or clan.