noun
provincial samurai
Historical term for a samurai serving a local lord in the provinces, as opposed to those serving the central shogunate.
江戸時代、国侍は地元の大名に仕えていた。
In the Edo period, provincial samurai served local feudal lords.
藩士 is a more common term for a samurai serving a specific domain (han), while 国侍 is a rarer, more general historical term for a provincial samurai.
Compound of 国 (kuni, 'province') and 侍 (samurai, 'warrior'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term refers to samurai based in the provinces rather than the capital.