Samurai RONIN offer their swords outside Japan

The recent Catalan Co. thread just led me to consider the following qn: WI Samurai RONIN, at any point during medieval Japan's hist, decided to leave their homeland & offer their services as mercenaries in other Asian conflicts, or perhaps even all the way over in Europe ?
 
I'm pretty sure that they did in fact, especially in Thaïland (Ayutthaya at the time) in the beginning of the 17th century.
Just a quote:
"From the years of Gen'na (1615–1624) through the later years of Kan'ei (1624–1644), the Ronin or warriors who lost their lords after the defeats of the battle of Osaka (1614-15) or the earlier battle of Sekigahara (1600), as well as the defeated Christians of the Shimabara uprising, went to settle in Siam in great numbers" (Senrakoku Fudo-gunki, 17th century, quoted by Uchida Ginzo).
 
I seem to recall reading something about the Spanish warned their soldiers in the Philippines not to confront any Japanese warriors they may encounter there.
 
Quite possible, in 1606 Japanese settlers led a rebellion in Dilao against the Spanish.
More Japanese came to the Philipines, after Tokugawa Ieyasu banned christianity.
 
hmmm- fascinating, many thx guys ! WI some of those RONIN had managed perhaps to make it all the way over to Europe ? Katans & wakizashis vs broadswords & pikes, any-1 ? Lacquer armour vs chainmail or platemail ?
 
hmmm- fascinating, many thx guys ! WI some of those RONIN had managed perhaps to make it all the way over to Europe ? Katans & wakizashis vs broadswords & pikes, any-1 ? Lacquer armour vs chainmail or platemail ?
It'd be more like Swords & Bows vs Muskets & Pikes
In the 17th centuary, the samurai's would get their asses kicked...
 
Yup, although early Tokugawa's armies were more or less equivalent to european armies of the time (cf Sekigahara battle).
 
Let's not forget that the samurai of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were primarily musket users. It isn't until later that they become exclusively sword-wearing.
 
Let's not forget that the samurai of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were primarily musket users. It isn't until later that they become exclusively sword-wearing.

Really? I was fairly sure that samurai were strongly opposed to using muskets at least until the end of the sixteenth century. Not to say they didn't have their men use them, mind - or that with a different engagement with Europeans, this might change significantly.

I don't really see any reason why a particularly adventurous or curious ronin might not venture to or be employed in the Americas or Europe. However, given the distances and cultures involved - and that a samurai is unlikely to be worth much more than a professionally trained European soldier - this would be a rare individual, while larger groups - perhaps organised mercenary companies - might become a common feature of colonial armies in India, the East Indies and Indochina.
 
Really? I was fairly sure that samurai were strongly opposed to using muskets at least until the end of the sixteenth century. Not to say they didn't have their men use them, mind - or that with a different engagement with Europeans, this might change significantly.

From what I know, the samurai were originally heavy horse archers, and the Japanese embraced the shit out of muskets, having much greater firearm penetration than Europe. I thought I'd read somewhere that the samurai quickly adopted musket tactics, with each samurai having a bunch of retainers to provide him with a constant stream of loaded muskets.
 
From what I know, the samurai were originally heavy horse archers, and the Japanese embraced the shit out of muskets, having much greater firearm penetration than Europe. I thought I'd read somewhere that the samurai quickly adopted musket tactics, with each samurai having a bunch of retainers to provide him with a constant stream of loaded muskets.

Actually, Samurai rarely used muskets or other firearms. It is sometimes forgotten that there were actually two different classes of warrior in ancient and medieval Japan. The Samurai were basically the noble cavalry, originally trained as horse archers. Later, as combat on horseback became less common than foot combat, samurai tended to focus on their skills as swordsmen. They spent their lives training for war, and were highly skilled.

But there was a second type of warrior...a pure infantryman, of peasant stock, called the Ashigaru. It was the Ashigaru who made up the bulk of Japanese armies, originally as a mass of spearmen, and later as musketeers. Because they were not noblemen, they did not spend their lives training for war, and that is why they, rather than the Samurai, were equipped with muskets...any idiot could be taught to use one in a short time, and to equip the Samurai with them would have been a waste of a highly trained warrior.

Ashigaru did not become Ronin when their lords were killed. Instead, they simply took off their armor, lay down their weapons, and went home to resume their work as peasant farmers. It was the noble Samurai, who were bound to the lords by oath, and who had no other profession save war, who became Ronin.
 
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