Samurai

Samurai are the military elite of Japan. They are expected to be loyal and brave at all times. They live under a strict code of honor, which includes the willingness to lay down their lives for their masters. Samurai live off the stipends that their masters provide. As Jiro points out, this means that many samurai are not doing too well during this famine.

Ronin

Ronin are samurai who have lost their masters either because their master died or because he dismissed them. According to the strict samurai code of honor, a samurai should really commit honorable suicide in this situation. Those that choose not to do this become ronin, and are considered to have lost their honor. They no longer receive their stipend and must get by on their own. Many become bandits or criminals, so they have a bad reputation. However, some of them try...