Lone Wolf and Cub

The Ronin -- the masterless samurai -- is perhaps the most familiar figure striding through the mythology of Japan. He is, in that fascinating pantheon, the most tortured of all heroes. Invariably, it is his honor that has led him into an untenable position. This is the inherent sadness of his nobility that makes him so appealing -- and so heroic.To his last dying breath, he struggles against the tide, enduring uncounted instances of hardship and suffering, never for a moment wavering from his righteousness. His purity of heart makes him enviable.But his spirit is far from pure. Only the man who has never lifted his hand against another is pure. But the man who has never lifted his hand against another cannot achieve even one victory. Life is bloody; so, too, our mythic hero.