Seppuku or 'belly-cutting', also known less formally as harakiri, is a form of ritual suicide that was practiced by the samurai and of Japan.
Seppuku was a key part of bushido, the code of the samurai warriors; it
was used by warriors to avoid falling into enemy hands, and to attenuate
shame. Samurai could also be ordered by their daimyo(feudal lords) to
commit seppuku. Later, disgraced warriors were sometimes permitted to
commit seppuku rather than be executed in the normal manner. Since the
main point of the act was to restore or protect one's honor as a
warrior, those who did not belong to the samurai caste were never
ordered or expected to commit seppuku. Samurai women could only commit
the act with permission. Seppuku was commonly performed using a tantō. It could take place with
preparation and ritual in the privacy of one's home, or speedily in a
quiet corner of a battlefield while one’s comrades kept the enemy at
bay.
Committing seppuku involve a detailed ritual. A Samurai was bathed,
dressed in white robes, fed his favorite meal, and when his meal was finished,
his instrument was placed on his plate. Dressed ceremonially, with his
sword placed in front of him, the
warrior would prepare for death by writing a death poem. With a selected attendant standing by, he would open
his kimono, take up his tantō and plunge it into his
abdomen, making a left-to-right cut.
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| Waist-scar of seppuku - LINK (link in Japanese) |
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| Close-up of the above photo - LINK (link in Japanese) |
