Changes

==Ronin during the Bakumatsu==

==Ronin during the Bakumatsu==

During the [[Bakumatsu period]] (mid-19th century - 1868), many ronin found new opportunities to take action in the conflicts; many samurai left their fiefs and became ronin, joining up either with the Loyalist side (advocating the overthrow of the Tokugawa ''bakufu'') or with groups such as the [[Shinsengumi]] (advocating preserving the shogunate). These conflicts during the Bakumatsu period eventually led to the [[Meiji period]] and ended the era of the ''bushi''. The final Tokugawa shogun abdicated in 1868. The ''buke'' fiefs were abolished in 1871. In 1876, the wearing of swords was outlawed.

During the [[Bakumatsu Period]] (mid-19th century - 1868), many ronin found new opportunities to take action in the conflicts; many samurai left their fiefs and became ronin, joining up either with the Loyalist side (advocating the overthrow of the Tokugawa ''bakufu'') or with groups such as the [[Shinsengumi]] (advocating preserving the shogunate). These conflicts during the Bakumatsu period eventually led to the [[Meiji Period]] and ended the era of the ''bushi''. The final Tokugawa shogun abdicated in 1868. The ''buke'' fiefs were abolished in 1871. In 1876, the wearing of swords was outlawed.

==References==

==References==