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.
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.
During the Warring States period, masterless wandering samurai roamed the country.
A band of brigands attacked the village and stole food.
It is said that a mountain ascetic called a nobushi lived deep in those mountains.
Standard kanji form for the historical wandering samurai/brigand sense.
Alternate kanji form; also used for the hermit/ascetic sense.
Rare kanji form restricted to the hermit/ascetic sense.
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.