The ritual of harakari or seppukuRitual murders are known to many peoples of the world: slaves and concubines were killed along with their master so that they would serve him in the afterlife, captives were sacrificed to the gods. But in addition to murders, there were also suicides - a voluntary decision to die for any reason. For example, poisoning and falling on a sword were common in Ancient Rome, but the most famous ritual suicides are Japanese hara-kiri and seppuku.
What is hara-kiri
In Japan, tribute to culture, honor, people, feudal lord, and master is above all. Even your own life. The Samurai Code says what hara-kiri is. This is a ritual suicide, by one's own hand, accepted among the upper class of the nobility of Japan, the samurai.
Harakiri can be voluntary, less often voluntary-forced - a certain kind of punishment. The samurai preserved his own honor and the good name of his family by ritual suicide.
Harakiri was practiced if the honor of the samurai himself, or the feudal lord - the chief, was affected. And how hara-kiri is done is a complex ritual process, with a lot of subtleties, the smallest nuances that helped the soul pass on to another world. Such a ritual was a privilege exclusively for the nobility - a simple peasant could not perform it.
And what they do with sacrificial murder with their own hand was the personal weapon of the samurai himself, special swords, knives. It is important to pay special attention to knives such as kugunosbu or tanto.
Conclusion
Among ritual suicides, the most famous is hara-kiri - the Japanese version of suicide. It was common in the Middle Ages and was of great importance for representatives of the samurai class. Among the most recent suicides are several military figures who died after defeat in World War II (including the “father of kamikazes” Takajiro Onishi), writer Yukio Mishima and judoka Isao Inokuma, who died in 2001. The death of many of them caused some approval in Japanese society, since these people died as befits a samurai.
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Seppuku ritual
Why is the ritual performedFeatures of the ritualRite of seppukuJapanese ritual of harakiriHow is the Japanese ritual performed
About sepuku
And what is sepuku, what is its difference from hara-kiri - this is an exalted ritual performed if a samurai covers himself with shame. If hara-kiri involves a simple ripping open of the abdomen, or in common parlance, the everyday version of ritual murder with one’s own hand - sepuku is a ritual that is complex in its implementation and preparation.
How the sepuku ritual is performed - the samurai cut the stomach with a cross, the letter X, in just two movements. Although at a later date they used a less painful method, when the samurai simply stuck a sword or knife into the stomach, leaning on his whole body. This method of suicide was practiced by Roman legionnaires captured by enemies, considering the latter a noble way of dying. Death by one's own hand is better than captivity.
The main difference that exists between these concepts is that the samurai himself, who committed sepuku, should not scream, writhe in pain, or fall. He made his own death not just a ritual suicide - a beautiful sacred act, showing how pure his soul is, how devoted he is to his family, his master.
An upper-class woman, the wife of a samurai, could also commit ritual murder with her own hand. True, the latter was carried out in a simplified version, it was not as pompous as that of men, using exclusively knives. The last to be opened was the jugular vein in the neck or stabbed, piercing the heart. She must tilt her head to the left side. This is a certain symbol, the pose of a fading flower, horse meat of life. A ritual murder of a woman was carried out at her own hand, according to the rules, alone with herself, without witnesses - this was the only way it was recognized as atonement.
How to do it
The main purpose of hara-kiri is to cut the belly. For this purpose, a one-sided short ritual sword was prepared - kusungobu. Its length was approximately 30 cm. It was an auxiliary weapon in battle for finishing off the enemy or cutting off heads.
The man sat on his heels, touching his knees to the floor, and exposed his upper torso. Clothes were placed under the knees to prevent the samurai from falling forward. Falling on your back was a shame.
Ripping open the belly could be done in several ways:
- How to distinguish between a seppuku ritual and a harakiriod wound horizontally from the left side to the right;
- two wounds: horizontal from left to right, then vertically from the diaphragm to the navel;
- crosswise with the letter “X”;
- Having plunged the blade into the stomach, lean on it with your body. This method was used in later times, since the option was less painful than the others.
The first centuries of harakiri were carried out only by the samurai, who had to wait patiently for death without screaming, without falling or expressing pain in any way. If a samurai lost control of himself, it was considered a disgrace for him and his family. Afterwards, the ritual was complicated and at the same time made more “simple”: as soon as the samurai began to lose consciousness or fall, his assistant (kaishakunin) cut off his head with one stroke.
Cutting off a head was also not easy: it required that the head remain hanging on a thin flap of skin. A head completely flying off and rolling on the floor was considered an unaesthetic sight. After the final fall of the body, the assistant wiped the blade with white paper, the head itself was raised and shown to those present (if there were any), only then the body was covered with a white cloth and preparations began for burial.
Some features
Not everyone could calmly endure such a painful procedure silently and with honor, and therefore the rules were supplemented:
- What is harakirie? If a samurai looked “unreliable,” cowardly, or did not want to die at all, his ritual dagger was replaced with a fan. The samurai symbolically touched his stomach with a fan, “ripping” it open, and at that time the assistant beheaded him;
- the woman could have her throat cut or a knife plunged into her heart. For this purpose, a kaiken was used - a short dagger that women of the samurai class always carried for self-defense. Women could commit suicide with their husband or family if it was a matter of honor, but the rules still stated that she must die alone, without spectators. In this case, the woman had to tilt her head to the side at the moment of death - this was a symbol of a withered flower;
- in rare cases, seppuku could be carried out with a bamboo sword. It was much more difficult for them to cut skin and organs, and great endurance and self-control were required from the samurai. Usually only the most devoted and courageous people, or those whom they decided to torture before death, would do this;
- If desired, the samurai could die standing - “tatabara” or “in a natural position.”
Stories of blood ritual
Historians say that hara-kiri, as a ritual of suicide, opening the abdomen, corresponds to the time of formation of the philosophy of Buddhism, the dogma of the frailty of existence, of everything that exists on earth. According to the foundations of Buddhism, a person’s soul, his essence, blooms in the center of the abdomen. Never in the heart, head, or other part of the body.
There are 3 ways to popularize this method of suicide:
- the samurai demonstrated the purity of his soul and thoughts, his intentions are untainted by shame, unfounded accusations and he is right;
- in this way, a samurai is able to justify himself immediately between heaven and people in his actions, deeds, and his own decisions;
- but often the practice of such killing by one’s own hand is due to the constant carrying of military weapons with oneself - this helped to quickly die on the battlefield.
The sepuku ritual itself gained peak popularity in the Middle Ages. In 1156, a daimyo from Minamoto committed the first hara-kiri in history with his own hands. The reason is as simple as the world - captivity, which was regarded as the highest degree of shame. Then more and more warriors and nobles used the ritual itself in critical situations. It was even prescribed as a point in the samurai’s military code of honor - Bushido.
Gradually, with the advent of reforms during the Meiji period, the ritual suicides presented ceased to exist at the legislative level. At the level of cultural heritage, ritual today, tomorrow, yesterday occupies an important place.
Carrying out the ritual
The process itself took place mainly in public, and amazed with its composure, restraint and determination of the warrior to achieve a “noble” death. Actually, based on this, the samurai prepared for the hara-kiri ritual in advance.
The warrior began his day with a bath, dressed in his best white kimono, and ate his favorite dishes. After he felt complete physical saturation and the saturation of being able to enjoy the joys of earthly life for the last time, he sat down on the mat in front of the audience. A sword was placed in front of the warrior on a cloth or on a plate.
Particular attention was paid to the choice of weapon with which the samurai was going to take his own life. For ordinary people there is no difference. Whereas the Japanese samurai took this event very seriously.
Among the samurai, it was generally believed that with the help of this ceremony they could truly purify themselves before heaven and people. According to established tradition, harakiri was performed with the help of a special Kusungobu dagger, and in the most exceptional cases, for these “noble” purposes, samurai used the Wakizashi sword.
However, the event did not end with just the choice of a weapon for “self-destruction”. All processes took place rather slowly. In addition, the samurai still had time to declare his dying poem. This work was written about death and things dear to the warrior.
Samurai could select assistants for themselves, who were most often close friends or relatives. Such assistants were chosen in order to immediately cut off the head, saving the samurai from terrible torment, but here, too, not everything is so simple. At the same time, another goal was pursued besides saving a friend. Such friends were given a unique opportunity to demonstrate the level of their skill with a sword.
Subsequently, the hara-kiri ritual was transferred to the battlefields. There, the defeated warriors, after being greatly upset by the fiasco, decided to take their own lives, and the winners, out of a sense of nobility, agreed to cut off their heads. And this practice has become firmly established in the courts. Thus, judges could impose sentences on guilty citizens in the form of a seppuku ritual.
Ritual suicide in modern Japan
Japanese culture implies that it is always important to preserve one’s face, good name, honor, and dignity. Therefore, the Japanese perceive sepuku, ritual hara-kiri, as salvation from troubles, a way to preserve their good name.
But religious dogmas do not condemn suicide as a method of taking life. This method of leaving earthly life is considered the most thoughtful, balanced, with dignity to wash away the shame and whiten one’s name. Other world religions, Orthodoxy, Buddhism, on the contrary, this way of leaving life is condemned - it is an escape from problems. But not in Japanese culture. For sepuku it is so important not just to stick a knife or sword into yourself, but to show willpower and dignity. This is a way to admit your own mistakes.
Previously, the ritual method of suicide was the privilege of the nobility, but gradually the popularity of hara-kiri and sepuku grew, they were practiced by everyone, both the military nobility and ordinary people. Is ritual suicide practiced today? Yes, even in the day of modern technology and innovation, there are cases of hara-kiri and sepuku. Not as rare as in the Middle Ages, today the ritual is more justified by today’s realities of fleeting life, traditions that have reached the present day unchanged.
Simply put, hara-kiri and sepuku differ only in the sound of the Chinese characters themselves. Well, in the way of organization and implementation, in everything else, a long and inevitable death awaited the person. How justified this situation and tradition of committing suicide is for the Japanese, whose culture is unique. Everyone’s life is structured differently, for some it is suicide, for others it is a way to show and defend their good name and honor. Time and history will dot the I's.
how samurai in Japan did hara-kiri
A stunning series of vintage photographs shows the life of Japanese samurai 130 years ago. Among the photographs there are those that depict the ritual of hara-kiri, also known as seppuku. It was used by warriors who wanted to die with their honor preserved, either voluntarily or when they were captured by the enemy. The ceremonial release of the intestines was actually part of a more complex ritual and was performed in the presence of spectators. In one of the photographs, a young samurai pierces his stomach with a katana.
Warriors watch the hara-kiri of a samurai in white.
Samurai emerged during the Heian period around 710 AD with the goal of subjugating the local people in the Tohoku region in northern Honshu. Over time, they became increasingly powerful and became the military elite in Japan. They were the ruling class from the 12th to the 19th centuries.
The samurai commits hara-kiri, or seppuku, a ritual of suicide through the release of intestines.
The samurai followed a Confucian-influenced code known as bushido, literally “the way of the warrior.” The unwritten and unspoken code glorified modesty, loyalty, mastery of martial arts and honor until death. The rules also called for heroic courage, fierce defense of family pride, and selfless devotion to the lord.
A group of samurai in ancient armor and weapons, circa 1870.
In the 15th and 16th centuries there were many warring factions, but their number subsequently decreased. Fearless warriors wore plate armor and a variety of weapons, including bows and arrows, spears, guns and, of course, the samurai sword. However, peace remained in the Edo period and many samurai became teachers, artists or officials as the need for mastery of martial arts became less important.
Photograph taken and colored by Felice Beato: women in a traditional Japanese shop, late 19th century.
When Emperor Meiji ascended the throne in 1868, he began to abolish the powers of the samurai. He first deprived them of their right to be the only army in Japan and began forming a Western-style conscript army in 1873.
One of the first war photographers, Venetian Felice Beato, took this photo around 1862.
The samurai became shizoku, merging with another social class under the influence of the Meiji reforms, and the right to carry a katana was lost, as was the right to execute anyone who publicly disrespected the samurai.
Group of samurai, circa 1890. Illustration for the booklet “In Japan: types, costumes and customs.”
The term "shizoku" (untitled nobility) remained part of Japanese culture until the end of World War II, but was abandoned in 1947. Despite the fact that at their peak, samurai made up no more than 10% of Japan's population, their influence is still very noticeable in Japanese culture, especially in modern martial arts.
A samurai in traditional attire and shoes blows into a sea shell.
Three Japanese samurai in full uniform.
Colorful traditional armor and ancient weapons on samurai, circa 1890.
