Etc.). By performing seppuku, samurai demonstrated their courage in the face of pain and death and the purity of their thoughts in front of gods and people. In the case when seppuku were to be committed by persons who were not trusted, or who were too dangerous, or did not want to commit suicide, the ritual dagger (kusungobu) was replaced with a fan, and thus seppuku was reduced to decapitation.
General Akashi Gidayu prepares to commit seppuku after losing a battle for his lord Akechi Mitsuhide in 1582. He has just written his death verse, which can also be seen in the upper right corner of the painting.
Etymology
"Seppuku" and "hara-kiri" are written with the same two characters. The difference is that seppuku is written as 切腹 (first comes the hieroglyph “cut” and then “stomach”, when reading, “on”, Japanese-Chinese readings are used), and hara-kiri is vice versa - 腹切り (the first hieroglyph is “stomach”, they use “ kunny, purely Japanese readings). In Japan, the word "hara-kiri" is a colloquial form and carries some everyday and derogatory connotation: if "seppuku" means a ritual suicide committed in accordance with all the rules, then "hara-kiri" is more likely translated as "to cut one's stomach with a sword."
History of occurrence
In ancient times, seppuku was not common in Japan; other methods of suicide were more common - self-immolation and hanging. The first sepukku was committed by a daimyo from the Minamoto clan in the war between the Minamoto and Taira, in 1156, under Hegen. Minamoto no Tametomo, defeated in this short but brutal war, cut his stomach open to avoid the shame of captivity. Seppuku quickly takes root among the military class and becomes an honorable way for a samurai to take his own life.
Seppuku consisted in the fact that the suicide cut the stomach across, from the left side to the right, or, in another way, cut it twice: first horizontally from the left side to the right, and then vertically from the diaphragm to the navel. Subsequently, when seppuku spread and began to be used as a privileged death penalty, a special complex ritual was developed for him, one of the important points of which was that the assistant (kaishaku) of an involuntary suicide, usually his best friend, cut off his head at the right moment, so seppuku essentially boiled down to ritual decapitation.
A legal difference was established between seppuku beheading and ordinary beheading, and for privileged persons, starting with the samurai, the death penalty was replaced in the form of indulgence by death through seppuku, that is, the death penalty, but only in the form of ritual beheading. Such a death penalty was relied on for offenses that did not dishonor the samurai ethics, so it was not considered shameful, and this was its difference from the ordinary death penalty. Such was its ideology, but it is difficult to say to what extent it was carried out in practice. The fact remains only that seppuku in the form of execution was applied only to the privileged class of the samurai, etc., but in no way to the classes of the population considered below the samurai.
This official use of seppuku dates back to a later time, namely the tokugawa period of the shogunate, but regardless of it, this method of suicide in its private use was very widespread throughout the entire mass of the population, almost becoming a mania, and the most insignificant reasons began to serve as reasons for seppuku . After the restoration of 1868, with the beginning of the organization of the state system according to the European model and the change in the whole way of life that began under the pressure of new ideas, the official use of seppuku was eventually canceled, and at the same time its private use began to be withdrawn, but not withdrawn at all. Cases of seppuku were not uncommon in the 20th century, and each such case was met with the hidden approval of the nation, creating a halo of glory and greatness in relation to some persons who used seppuku of a more prominent position.
Ideology
There is a point of view according to which seppuku was intensively implanted by the religious tenets of Buddhism, its concept of the frailty of being and the impermanence of everything earthly. In the philosophy of Zen Buddhism, the center of human life and the location of his soul was considered not the heart or head, but the stomach, which occupies, as it were, a middle position in relation to the whole body and contributes to a more balanced and harmonious development of a person. In this regard, a lot of expressions arose that describe different mental states of a person using the word "stomach", in Japanese hara [fuku]; for example, haradatsu- “walk with a raised belly” - “get angry”, hara chinese- "dirty belly" - "low aspirations", hara no chicken hito- "a man with a black belly" - "a man with a black soul", hara no nai hito- “a man without a stomach” - “a soulless person”. It is believed that the opening of the abdomen by seppuku is carried out in order to show the purity and purity of one's thoughts and aspirations, the discovery of one's innermost and true intentions, as proof of one's inner rightness; in other words, seppuku is the last, extreme justification of oneself before heaven and people.
It is also possible that the emergence of this custom is caused by reasons of a more utilitarian nature, namely, the constant presence of a suicide weapon - a sword. Ripping open the stomach with a sword was a very effective means, and it was impossible to stay alive after such a wound. In Europe, there was some analogy to this ritual: the custom of throwing a sword in ancient Rome did not arise due to any special ideology of this phenomenon, but due to the fact that the sword was always with you. Both in the West and in the East, the use of the sword as a tool for suicide began precisely among the class of warriors who constantly carried it with them.
Notes
It should be noted that penetrating wounds of the abdominal cavity are the most painful in comparison with similar wounds of other parts of the body.
The household expression "pain shock", "death from pain shock" is widespread. However, in reality, no “pain shock” exists, and a person cannot die from pain alone - even very strong one.
Links
- jack seward, Hara-Kiri: Japanese Ritual Suicide(Charles E. Tuttle, 1968)
- Christopher Ross, Mishima's Sword: Travels in Search of a Samurai Legend(Fourth Estate, 2006; Da Capo Press 2006)
- Seppuku - A Practical Guide (tongue-in-cheek)
- An Account of the Hara Kiri from Mitford's "Tales of Old Japan" provides a detailed description: http://www.blackmask.com/thatway/books162c/taja.htm
- Zuihoden - Mausoleum of Date Masamune - When he died, twenty of his followers killed themselves to serve him in the next life
- Seppuku and "cruel punishments" at the end of Tokugawa Shogunate
- SengokuDaimyo.com The website of Samurai Author and Historian Anthony J. Bryant
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Synonyms:Each warrior has his own moral and ethical code. It is not surprising that the code of the Japanese samurai was considered one of the most strict and overflowing with unshakable codes of rules. After all, only they had a ritual rite of suicide, known to us as "hara-kiri", which was elevated to the rank of art and occupied a special place in the worldview of the samurai. We will tell you about the details of this cult in today's article.
What is harakiri?
Translated from Japanese, this word means "to cut the stomach" ("hara" is to cut, "kiru" is the stomach). It is known that among the Japanese the meaning of words is represented by hieroglyphs. The hieroglyph denoting the process of hara-kiri was written identically to the words: “hope”, “soul”, “mysterious thoughts”. Although it is believed that the correct name for this ritual is "seppuku". Like the word "hara-kiri", sepukku is depicted with two of the same hieroglyphs, but the difference is that in writing the word "seppuku" the hieroglyph "cut" is drawn first, and then "stomach", while in "hara-kiri" it is exactly the opposite. Since the Japanese themselves pronounce the word hara-kiri in everyday speech, and use seppuku for official spelling, we will focus on the first and familiar word “hara-kiri” to our ears.
Proud samurai considered hara-kiri to be a particularly significant ritual and with pride and honor accepted the opportunity to dispose of their own lives. Despising death, they showed their high fortitude and excellent composure. By committing hara-kiri, brave warriors removed their sins. Often samurai performed this ritual because of their unwillingness to be captured. In a similar way they bypassed the shame before their leader. The most famous instance of this ritual being performed is that of the warrior Masashige Kusunoki. Once, having been defeated in battle, 60 warriors led by the samurai Kusunoki resorted to hara-kiri. This example of devotion and duty is the most noble act in the history of Japanese military ethics.
Although there were also unreasonably performed seppuku rituals. History describes a case of such hara-kiri, committed by two warriors from the emperor's entourage. The samurai quarreled over the fact that their swords involuntarily caught each other. Thus, for the Japanese of that time, hara-kiri served as a solution to a controversial moment, protest or defense of military honor.
Ways to perform hara-kiri
In the Japanese view, the stomach is the most important part of the human body. The technique of cutting the abdomen is mainly a consequence of the choice of the samurai himself and reflects the tolerance and self-control of the warrior. It was also important to coordinate the technique with an assistant who was present for moral support. In some situations, hara-kiri was performed not with a steel sword, but made of bamboo, which is several times more difficult to cut the stomach. This was done in order to show special courage and invincibility of a warrior. Harakiri was usually done in a sitting position (Japanese style of sitting is implied), and the robe hanging from the shoulders was tucked under the knees to prevent the body from falling down after committing harakiri. To die lying on his back for a samurai turned into a great disgrace. Occasionally, hara-kiri was done in a standing position. This method is called "tachibara" - standing seppuku in a natural position. When performing a ritual, a samurai always observes all the subtleties: from the direction of the cut to the angle of the blade. But we will not go into details so that you can sleep better at night.
The womb was cut with a weapon intended for this - kusungobu, 25 cm long, which was considered a family heirloom. Or wakizashi - a small samurai sword. If the necessary projectile for hara-kiri was not available, which happened not so often, the ceremony was carried out with a large sword, which was taken by the blade, rewound with cloth. Occasionally, the blade of a small sword was wrapped with a cloth, with the expectation that 10 centimeters of the cutting plane should remain open. At the same time, the dagger was held by the middle of the blade, and not by the handle. Such a depth of cut is required in order not to rest against the ridge. This could become an obstacle to the completion of the ceremony. At the same time, the samurai needed to monitor the surface of the blade, because it could only pierce the muscle tissues of the abdomen. In this case, the wound would not have been fatal.
Officially, hara-kiri has been banned by the Japanese authorities since 1968, but individual cases still occur in our time. In 2001, the famous Olympic judo champion Isao Inokuma committed hara-kiri due to the critical financial situation of the company in which he held a leadership position.
In European culture, it is believed that suicide is a sin, and the philosophy of the Japanese is all life for the sake of death. In their culture, the main thing was a beautiful death, not life. Waking up, the Japanese think about death and live their day as if it were their last.
Seppuku and hara-kiri are part of the cultural and religious heritage of Japan. Both of these phenomena are referred to as methods of suicide, but they are performed in almost the same way.
What is seppuku?
Seppuku is a ritual suicide performed by a samurai according to the Bushido code. This method of death is resorted to when the samurai is covered with shame, which can only be washed away by his death. In order for seppuku to be carried out correctly, it is necessary to strictly observe the set of rules that clearly regulate this terrible process.
A samurai could perform a seppuku ritual by sentence or at his own request. For example, if he lost his master in battle or did his duty poorly, other warriors could force him to commit seppuku.
But often the samurai himself wanted to justify himself before the gods and people, so he decided to cut his stomach in a special way. It was necessary to rip open the stomach while sitting, so as not to fall on your back and disgrace yourself. Having exposed his stomach, the samurai made two cross-shaped movements with a sword or ripped his flesh from one side to the other, and then from the navel to the chest.
Later, seppuku committed suicide by leaning on a sword. This method was considered more humane. Samurai were not supposed to scream and writhe during the ritual. Therefore, some of them used the services of a special assistant, who, after cutting the stomach by the samurai, cut off his head, but not completely, so that the head would not fall to the floor.
Women from the samurai class in case of shame, betrayal of her husband, betrayal or incontinence of the word also performed this rite. The woman who was threatened with dishonor through no fault of her could do the same.
Women's seppuku was performed with a knife, which was given to a Japanese woman by her husband or father. With it, she pierced her heart or, according to other sources, cut her throat. Before the ritual, the woman herself tied her legs in order to die in a dignified and chaste pose.
What is harakiri?
Harakiri is still the same ritual suicide, only this word has taken root more in the West, therefore it is on hearing. Translated from Japanese, this term means "belly" and "cut". The word "seppuku" is written in the same characters, but is read from the word "cut". This transcription refers to the Chinese linguistic roots.
History of seppuku
In ancient Japan, the seppuku ritual was not common. It became popular in the Middle Ages. In 1156, a Minamoto daimyō committed the first hara-kiri in history. He did this to avoid capture, as being captured was considered a disgrace. Since then, many military began to use this rite in critical situations.
Then, over time, seppuku began to be massively used for any reason. But with the advent of reforms during the Meiji period, such suicides began to be officially condemned, and in 1968 the ceremony was banned at the legislative level. But in the culture of the Japanese, seppuku still occupies an important place.
Ritual suicides today
Japan's religion does not condemn suicide. On the contrary, this method of death is considered deliberate and worthy. It does not prevent you from leaving for a better world, it helps to wash away shameful stains from your reputation.
Suicide occurs all over the world for a variety of reasons. For example, it may be a business failure, financial problems, romantic difficulties or illnesses that prevent you from living a full life. In many world religions, hara-kiri is condemned, considered a weakness, an escape from problems. But not in Japan, as the Japanese believe that seppuku needs a lot of willpower, as well as the ability to admit one's mistakes.
Harakiri and seppuku were originally a privilege of the nobility. But then they began to be used not only by the military, but also by ordinary people. Are seppuku performed today? Of course, such cases can be found in our century. But they are less common and more justified by modern realities.
Seppuku and hara-kiri differ from each other only in the sound of hieroglyphs. Otherwise, this phenomenon is characterized as a rite, at the end of which the inevitable onset of death awaits a person. Is it bad or good? Let the Japanese themselves answer this question, because their culture is fundamentally different from the culture of other peoples. Their lives are completely different. Values are based on respect for the ancestors and the historically established foundations of society. For them, hara-kiri is a part of life, and death is a natural phenomenon that must be met with dignity.
Many lovers of Japan and its culture often wonder: "Is there a difference between hara-kiri and seppuku?". Indeed, the word "hara-kiri" is most famous in Europe, and therefore is familiar to an ordinary person, another 70% of Europeans know the meaning of this word, another 20% have ever heard it, but do not use it in speech, and the remaining 10% do not consider it necessary to delve into into the culture of another country. For those interested, let's try to figure out if there are any differences and what they are.
In fact, there is no difference in these two terms, except perhaps in pronunciation and usage. Both hara-kiri and seppuku denote “ritual suicide”, even in writing they are designated the same, only the first one has the belly symbol first, and only then the verb “cut”, in seppuku it’s the other way around. It is worth saying that the Japanese still consider the word "hara-kiri" almost abusive, derogatory and colloquial, and therefore do not use it. In Russia, in addition to or instead of the term "hara-kiri", the word "hara-kari" is used, but any Japanese scholar will say that these are just sophistications of the Russian language.
Moreover, in ancient times, this supposedly “village” word “hara-kiri” was used to refer to suicide that did not follow the rules of the knightly code, that is, without respect for it. The real seppuku was carefully prepared and seemed almost a scary theatrical performance.
Ritual.
The action itself took place in public and amazed with its composure and the desire of a person for a “noble” death. It was for this reason that the knight prepared for hara-kiri (we will call it that, because ripping open the stomach and in Africa ripping open the stomach) in advance: he washed himself, put on his best white kimono, ate his favorite food, and when he felt that he had enjoyed the embellishments of earthly life, he sat down in front of the audience a sword was placed on a rug and in front of it on a cloth or plate. It is worth paying special attention to it, since the suicide had a choice of what object to kill himself with, it makes no difference to us, and the Japanese took this very seriously, since it was believed that with the help of this ritual they would be cleansed before Heaven and people. Traditionally, hara-kiri was performed with a special Kusungobu dagger; in rare cases, the Wakizashi sword was used for this business.But the process did not end with the choice of a means of suicide, everything went rather slowly, because the samurai still had time for a dying poem, in which he wrote about death, philosophized, and described what was dear to him during his lifetime. You can read these poems only without thinking about what a person did to himself after he finished writing the last word.
A samurai could choose an assistant, who was a close friend or relative, who would immediately cut off his head, saving a person from torment. Moreover, the friends pursued another goal in addition to saving their comrade, so they could show the level of their skill in fencing.
Later, the rite of hara-kiri from the battlefield, where the stricken warrior, very upset about the loss, decided to kill himself, and the winner nobly agreed to cut off his head, into judicial practice, that is, the judge could sentence the guilty Japanese to a sentence in the form of seppuku.
Based on the foregoing, it is worth answering the question posed at the beginning: there is little difference between hara-kiri and seppuku, it comes from different ways of reading one phrase “ritual suicide”, the Chinese way suggests a noble reading, and the Japanese everyday, base, that is, hara-kiri. If we translate these two words to the level of phraseological units, then hara-kiri will mean "to give up", and seppuku "to depart to another world."
Bushido is the code of honor for the samurai.
Suicide by stabbing the stomach with a dagger is closely related to bushido, the samurai code of honor. It was believed that with the help of death, a knight avoids shame and unwanted captivity, which also affects the reputation of a particular warrior. Once seppuku had spread, delinquent knights were allowed to kill themselves instead of being decapitated like a normal mortal. Here, a fine line can be traced between seppuku and hara-kiri, the first denotes a noble suicide, and the second a shameful execution, therefore, this clear separation arose at the very beginning, when the ritual was only practiced and poured into life, it was about 1156 of the year.You should not think that only all Japanese men cut themselves, no one expected this from ordinary people, because only those who were in the samurai community were allowed to perform this ritual, this is due to the reverent attitude to the process. But not every warrior could commit suicide, even if he really wants to atone for his sins in this way, he must definitely ask permission from the owner.
The knights had the right to demand the appointment of seppuku to their enemies, and in this way they could take out their anger or resentment on a person, and the rest would simply think that a noble Japanese wants the soul of the unrighteous to be saved and reborn.
Even in the samurai code, it appears that the main goal of suicide is to show good intentions to Heaven, for example, a vassal died in battle, his subordinate can make himself hara-kiri in order to show his devotion to the master, etc.
Woman and seppuku.
Women also had the right to commit suicide, only they committed it more quietly, without unnecessary preparations, and, moreover, spectators. Each of them always carried a kaiken self-defense dagger, with which they could cut their own cervical artery. The only important detail was that you had to lean to one side, which the Japanese associated with a withered flower.
The difference between hara-kiri and seppuku.
It is worth summarizing everything that has been said and briefly state the difference between two related concepts.
Harakiri is an everyday, colloquial and even degrading term for suicide by ripping open the stomach, it is used mainly by Europeans uninitiated in the code of Japanese chivalry. Seppuku can be called a more euphonious and noble name for the Japanese themselves.
The Europeanized word is usually called the very ripping of the stomach (the stomach of the Japanese is the center from which all energy flows), and the seppuka is a ritual for which the Japanese carefully prepared.
The spelling of these words is similar, but in seppuku “cut” comes first, and “belly” comes second, in hara-kiri, on the contrary.
Seppuku for a samurai is a worthy departure from life, while hara-kiri, on the contrary, is a shame not only for him, but for the whole family.
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately for the Japanese, 1968
the ritual was canceled, but cases of similar suicides still occur, because the Japanese are such a people who even want to die beautifully, which is why they live every day as if it were their last.
Harakiri and seppuku - what is it? The difference between hara-kiri and seppuku, how do they differ
Seppuku is an ancient Japanese samurai ritual of suicide, performed according to certain rules.
The samurai did seppuku if he was dishonored, allowed the death of the owner - daimyo, or by sentence. Making seppuku, the samurai showed his disregard for death, courage and loyalty to his overlord.
Harakiri is a word that the Japanese use colloquially. Seppuku and hara-kiri are written with the same two hieroglyphs, only swapped places. If seppuku assumed strict adherence to the rules, then hara-kiri means simple suicide without a ritual, ripping open the stomach. In other words, commoners did hara-kiri, and samurai did seppuku, although in fact it is almost the same thing.
How was seppuku performed? The process of the ceremony.
During the ritual of suicide, the samurai had to expose the stomach and cut it in a special way - in a cross, in two movements, first from one side to the other, then from the chest to the navel. Another way is to cut the abdomen with the letter X. In more recent times, a less painful method has become generally accepted - the samurai stuck the wakizashi into his stomach, leaning on the sword with his whole body.
When committing seppuku, the samurai was obliged to behave with dignity, not to writhe in pain, not to scream, not to fall, try to make his death beautiful. If a samurai lost control of himself during a suicide, it was considered a great shame. In order to avoid this, over time, seppuku began to be performed using a special assistant - kaishakunin, who cut off the head of a samurai who plunged a knife into his stomach.
seppuku photo
The timing of the decapitation could vary depending on the situation and prior agreements. It was desirable for Kaisyaku to cut off his head in such a way that the head remained hanging on a strip of skin, since otherwise it could roll on the floor, which was considered unaesthetic. After the ceremony, the kaishaku wiped the blade with white paper, the severed head was lifted by the hair and shown to the witnesses, after which the body was covered with a white cloth.
Seppuku was also common among women of the samurai class, but they, unlike men, plunged a dagger into their hearts or cut their throats.
Genre Samurai
