noun
wandering samurai; soldier of fortune; brigand
Historical term for a samurai without a lord, often living in the mountains and sometimes resorting to banditry. The English glosses cover a range from mercenary to outright robber.
戦国時代には、主君を失った野武士が各地を放浪した。
During the Warring States period, masterless wandering samurai roamed the country.
野武士の集
noun
hermit; mountain ascetic; itinerant priest
Only when written 野伏 / 野臥
Rare, historical use referring to a person who lives in seclusion in the mountains, often for religious reasons. Restricted to the kanji forms 野伏 and 野臥.
その山奥には、野伏と呼ばれる修行者が住んでいたという。
It is said that a mountain ascetic called a nobushi lived deep in those mountains.
A band of brigands attacked the village and stole food.
Compound of 野 (no, 'field, wilderness') and 武士 (bushi, 'samurai, warrior'), literally 'field warrior'. The alternate kanji 野伏 and 野臥 use characters meaning 'prostrate' and 'lie down', suggesting a person living rough in the wild. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.