What is the meaning of the Seppuku or Harakiri, the ritual suicide of the samurai

THE’Harakiri and the Seppukutwo ways to refer to suicide ritual practiced only by the caste of samuraiare among the most fascinating and complex aspects of Japanese culture. This act was not a gesture of despair but of extreme dignityin fact, to save themselves from the dishonor, the legendary Japanese warriors killed themselves with the Harakiri method, a brutal gesture which however constituted one supreme manifestation of courage. The farewell of the samurai, was a Suicide of honormade precisely to demonstrate its spiritual and warrior value. Seppuku is the term formal and honorablerooted in the Samurai Code (Bushidō) and preferred in historical or official contexts. Harakiri, on the other hand, is the most version colloquial and directoften perceived as more raw or sensationalistic.

Origins and meaning of the agent (Harakiri)

The Seppukuliterally translatable as “belly cut“, has its roots in BushidōThe Code of honor of the samurai, who regulated every aspect of their life, from loyalty to the feudal lord to the way in which to face death. For a samurai, the defeat or capture were considered a worst column of death itself. The ritual suicide it therefore became a way to preserve one’s honor and demonstrate loyalty to one’s values. The concept of honor (meiyo) And shame (Haji) was in fact central to samurai culture, and the agent was seen as theonly acceptable way out in case bankruptcy. While “Seppuku” And “Harakiri“(/has · kì · ri, ka-/) both indicate the Japanese ritual suicide, there are significant differences in theirs use and connotation.

Seppuku is the term more formal and solemnused in official documents and samurai culture to describe an act of honor and discipline. Harakiri, on the other hand, is a more version colloquial and direct of the same concept, often used in popular language and in the western media with a more raw and trivial meaning. While the former retains one legal dignity to the Bushidō code, the second can be perceived as more sensationalistic or macabre. For this reason, in Japan, the use of sepuku is preferred when referring to the practice in a historical or ceremonial context.

Japanese history has seen several methods followed to implement the suicide of honor, for example throw yourself into the water with the armor I wear or jump from horse with the sword in the mouth; But the best known and emblematic remains that of pierce the belly with a dagger. Therefore the root of this practice should be sought in the profound sense of the honor present in the Japanese culture, The triggering causes of the ritual are basically two: the dishonor perceived by the person who decided to take his own life ol ‘imposition by the feudal Lord.

How the agent’s ritual took place

The agent was performed in appropriate placesoften in residential houses or in templesand with the presence of witnesses. If, on the other hand, it was imposed as capital penaltyit took place in a government room specifically set up for the occasion. The samurai, before the act, had to wash and purify yourself and finally wear a kimono whitesymbol of purity and detachment from earthly goods. His sword or daggerwas then arranged ceremonially in front of him, in a table.

Once the instrument of the crime is placed, the samurai sat in formal locationwith his legs bent, in front of the dagger and, before proceeding, he recited or wrote a “farewell poem“which represented his last reflection on life and death. The cut was performed From left to rightand sometimes was followed by a cut upwards, creating one sort of cross. Since for the Japanese theAnima is based in the belly, This car gesture inflicted was considered the maximum expression of courage. To avoid a long and painful death then, a second warrior, tendency to a trusted friend and a skilled warrior with katana, so that the beheading took place with a single blow, was in charge of performing the beheading. After the Seppuku, the samurai body was recomposed and the funeral ceremony in his honor.

Because Harakiri is not a sin in Japanese culture

Being Japan a company fed and developed in the footsteps of the scintoismof Buddhism and of the Taoism Coming from China, the Seppuku was seen as a simple and honorable way to die, nothing more than a simple piece in the infinite cycle of life. The Buddhism in fact he sees death as nothing more than the transition from one form of life to another, and also admits the suicide. Conversely, the warrior who had no enough courage and sense of honor to kill himself was called Ronina term coined to refer to a samurai who had lost his master for dishonoring him.

The Seppuku in modern Japan

Although the Seppuku is no longer practiced, its meaning is still present in Japanese culture. The idea of ​​sacrifice for honor is reflected in the literatureIn the cinema and in the company itself. The famous writer Yukio Mishimafor example, took his life with a sepuku in 1970 as a gesture of protest against modernization of Japan. In addition, concepts derived from Bushidō, such as the sense of duty and the extreme dedication at work, they continue to influence The contemporary Japanese world.