A Ronin was a Samurai with no lord or master during the feudal period (1185-1868) of Japan. A samurai became masterless after the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favour or privilege.
The word Ronin literally means "wave man". The term originated in the Nara and Heian periods, when it referred to a serf who had fled or deserted his master's lands. It then came to be used for a samurai who had lost his master.
See here for a tale of the most famous Ronin 47 Ronin
The figures are mostly Old Glory I believe, the rest of my collection are Perry Miniatures, during the games my fellow rejects could not tell the difference between leaders and heroes and regular troops so I had to colour the bases so they stood out a little.
