Later on, the samurai caste became larger and more embroiled in government. Seppuku was in this case considered a mercy in the context of the battlefield, a chance for the samurai to die on their own terms should a battle not go in their favor. Most samurai who were defeated, if they had not been killed outright, would go this route. The first known instance was after the 1180 Battle of Uji, when Minamoto Yorimasa ended his life to escape torture at the hands of his enemies. The custom of hara-kiri originated during the Heian period. History of Hara-kiri Minamoto Yorimasa Committing Seppuku from One Hundred Poems, by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1843-1846, via Although certainly fatal because of internal sepsis and blood loss, it would not be a quick death befitting a samurai. Also, the cutting of the abdomen was not itself the death blow. Piercing the stomach was considered to be the quickest way to release the soul so it could be reincarnated into a new body. The abdomen was the target because the soul was believed to reside in the hara, or stomach. By demonstrating resilience and composure, the samurai could regain lost honor in his last moments. We’ve gone over the reasons for someone committing hara-kiri, but what symbolism is behind the act? Why such a horrific method? One of the most prized virtues in Japanese society, and by extension bushido, was stoicism in the face of adversity and pain. Why Was It Done This Way? Akashi Gidayu and Tiger, by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1890, via An egregious enough breach of conduct could result in an entire family being executed. Feudal Japanese culture operated according to a “sins of the father” mentality. They, especially in the case of children, were often told it was merely a rehearsal for the act, but they would be cut down just the same. The woman would kneel, tie her legs together for modesty’s sake, and cut her own throat.Įven teenagers and children could be ordered to perform hara-kiri. suicide) via mistranslations from author Lafcadio Hearn. The act was incorrectly called jigai (lit. Women were also known to commit seppuku, but they did not do it in the same way that men did. Women and Children Samurai Wife Restraining Son From Committing Seppuku, by Ikaya Senzaburo, 1842, via When he touched the fan, the kaishakunin would strike. The condemned would be kept under close guard by his captors and at the time of the ritual, he would be given a paper fan rather than a dagger. Belief in reincarnation also factored into the acceptance of sudden death as just another part of life.įinally, seppuku was used as a form of execution. The concepts of life and death were and are viewed differently than in many Western morality systems. It is an extreme measure by any standard, but one thing to remember is that the Japanese were mostly Buddhist. A warrior who made a grievous error, lost a battle, or otherwise failed his daimyo, might be ordered to commit hara-kiri as atonement. The other most well-known reason a samurai might go through with this act was as a form of capital punishment. The exception was if the samurai was on the battlefield facing enemy capture. Committing seppuku without permission was seen as dishonorable and could, according to Buddhist belief, cause reincarnation to a lower status. He would also have to have explicit permission from a higher authority, such as a daimyo or the shogun. It would have to be for something that could not otherwise be rectified. This isn’t to say that a samurai would kill himself for just any minor transgression. The most well-known reason (in fiction at any rate) for hara-kiri was as an atonement for a perceived shameful act. Reasons Behind the Act Musha Burui “Last Letter”, by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1886, via Failure to perform it properly was a mark of shame and could in some cases lead to the kaishakunin himself being ordered to commit seppuku. Being requested as a kaishakunin was considered a serious responsibility. If the decapitation did not occur after the first thrust, the samurai would pull the tanto across his abdomen and make a second, vertical cut up to the heart. In Shinto belief, any part of the ground touched by blood or by a corpse was considered unclean. The “almost” part demonstrated the control of the cut and prevented the severed head from spilling blood on the ground. When the agony became intolerable, the kaishakunin, or second, would make a cut to the neck to almost decapitate the samurai who was intended to die. He was to endure the agony for as long as possible without breaking composure. How the hara-kiri proceeded at this point depended on the fortitude of the samurai in question. He would then open the lapels of his kimono to expose his stomach, grasp the tanto by the blade, and thrust it into his abdomen edge-up. The samurai would compose a death poem to be recorded for posterity.
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