Deformutilation: Seppuku

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.