Ronin Samurai were masterless samurai in feudal Japan. Many samurai became Ronin after the death of their lord, but some were cast out by their lords after they disgraced themselves in his eyes. When a samurai found themselves without a master, he was bound by the laws of the Bushido Code to commit Seppuku. This was a ritual act of suicide, in which a disgraced samurai slashed open his own belly with a short blade. However, Ronin Samurai chose to become wanderers rather than kill themselves. These Ronin Samurai would wander the Japanese countryside in search of new masters.