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  1. Seppuku
    • According to 3 sources
    seppuku, the honourable method of taking one’s own life practiced by men of the samurai (military) class in feudal Japan. The word hara-kiri (literally, “belly-cutting”), though widely known to foreigners, is rarely used by Japanese, who prefer the term seppuku (written in Japanese with the same two Chinese characters but in reverse order).
    Often called “hara-kiri” in the West, “seppuku” is a form of ritual suicide that originated with Japan’s ancient samurai warrior class. The grisly act typically involved stabbing oneself in the belly with a short sword, slicing open the stomach and then turning the blade upwards to ensure a fatal wound.
    As a samurai practice, seppuku was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honour rather than fall into the hands of their enemies (and likely be tortured), as a form of capital punishment for samurai who had committed serious offences, or performed because they had brought shame to themselves.
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    Seppuku - Wikipedia

    As a samurai practice, seppuku was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honour rather than fall into the hands of their enemies (and likely be tortured), as a form of capital punishment for samurai who had committed serious offences, or performed because they had brought shame to themselves. [6] See more

    Seppuku (切腹, lit. 'cutting [the] belly'), also called harakiri (腹切り, lit. 'abdomen/belly cutting', a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for See more

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    The practice of seppuku was not standardized until the 17th century. In the 12th and 13th centuries, such as with the seppuku of … See more

    While voluntary seppuku is the best known form, in practice, the most common form of seppuku was obligatory seppuku, used as a form of See more

    Seppuku as judicial punishment was abolished in 1873, shortly after the Meiji Restoration, but voluntary seppuku did not completely die out. … See more

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    The term seppuku is derived from the two Sino-Japanese roots setsu 切 ("to cut", from Middle Chinese tset; compare Mandarin qiē … See more

    Female ritual suicide (incorrectly referred to in some English sources as jigai) was practiced by the wives of samurai who have performed … See more

    On February 15, 1868, eleven French sailors of the Dupleix entered the town of Sakai without official permission. Their presence caused … See more

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  4. Seppuku | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica

    5 days ago · Seppuku is a form of taking one’s own life that was considered honourable among the feudal Japanese samurai class. Traditionally, the act consisted of stabbing oneself in the abdomen with a short sword to ensure a …

  5. What is Seppuku? - HISTORY

  6. Yamamoto Tsunetomo - Wikiquote

    Oct 20, 2023 · The way of the Samurai is in death. I have found the essence of Bushido: to die! According to their nature, there are both people who have quick intelligence, and those who must withdraw and take time to think things over.

  7. The Way of the Samurai – Why Honor Was Everything …

    Jun 9, 2019 · The 17 th century samurai, Yamamoto Tsunetomo, summarized the warrior’s guiding philosophy in his famous literary work, Hagakure: “The way of the samurai is found in death.” It was a fatalistic embrace of mortality, but …

  8. Yamamoto Tsunetomo (1659-1719) | Issue 132

    In 1700 Mitsushige died. Steeped in samurai traditions, Yamamoto wished to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) in solidarity with his lord, but was prevented by a final edict from Mitsushige explicitly forbidding this. Instead he chose to …

  9. Best samurai quotes on death - The Narratologist

    One of the most famous samurai quotes on death comes from Yamamoto Tsunetomo, a samurai of the early 18th century. He said, “The way of the samurai is found in death.” This quote encapsulates the samurai’s belief that their true …

  10. Hagakure - Wikipedia

    Hagakure is sometimes said to assert that bushido is really the "Way of Dying" or living as though one was already dead, and that a samurai must be willing to die at any moment in order to be true to his lady/lord.

  11. Newly Translated Texts Shed Light On Seppuku Ceremonies - All …

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