How to Perform Seppuku (Hari-Kari)

Commonly known as hari-kari to foreigners, seppuku is the ancient Japanese tradition of ritual suicide. Reasons to commit seppuku included junshi (killing yourself upon the death of your lord), funshi (to express great indignation), kanshi (to rebuke one’s lord for his behavior), to atone for dishonorable actions, or to avoid capture, disgrace, torture, and/or execution in battle. The art of seppuku is as complicated, if not moreso, than chado - the Japanese tea ceremony.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Kaishakunin (assistant)
• Sanbo (unlacquered table)
• Sake cup
• Washi (paper handmade from mulberry bark) and writing instrument
• Kozuka (disemboweling blade)

1. Recruit a kaishakunin. This will be your assistant, and the one who actually kills you. If your seppuku is a death sentence, a kaishakunin will likely be provided for you. Otherwise, you can ask a iaijutsuka (practitioner of the technique of killing with a single sword stroke), or a close personal friend.

2. Find yourself a garden or Buddhist temple (Shinto temples should not be defiled with death). You should be dressed in all white, and sit in the seiza position (legs drawn up under your body, so that you actually sit on your heels). The kaishakunin will place before you a sanbo (an unlacquered table), with a sake cup, a sheaf of washi (paper handmade from mulberry bark) along with writing accoutrements, and the kozuka (disemboweling blade).

3. Empty the sake cup in two drinks of two sips each (the number four, shi, also means 'death'). Write a poem in the waka style (five lines of five, seven, seven, five, and seven syllables), which involves graceful and transient emotions. You should not at all mention your own death.

4. Slip out of your outer garment (kamishimo) and tuck the sleeves under your knees to prevent yourself from slumping to one side. Now, pick up the kozuka, while with your other hand placing the sanbo under your buttocks, so that you lean forward slightly.

5. Plunge the blade deep into the left side of your belly, drawing it across to the right, and cutting sharply upwards at the end. If you feel capable, you may then plunge the blade into your groin and cut upwards to the sternum, followed by a horizontal cut at the base of the rib cage.

6. You have now mortally wounded yourself with honor. At this point, your kaishakunin will inflict the death blow, nearly beheading you (a full beheading is reserved for lowly criminals).

Tips & Warnings

• The kozuka can be either a tanto dagger without a hilt (wrapped in several sheets of paper to get a better grip), or your own wakizashi (traditional samurai side-arm).
• If you are considered too old and feeble (or dangerous) to wield a kozuka, it will be replaced with a fan. The kaishkunin will kill you as soon as you touch the fan to your belly.

[Synchiron]

on 11/30/2008 Thanks for the article, it helped me so much with my work.
This article is still here because, believe it or not, people need it. I did.

[ChiakiTypeO]

on 11/13/2008 No it should *NOT* be removed. The internet is about information, good or bad. Just because the article does not appeal to you should not mean it is removed for every one else as well. This ritual is very interesting, and a part of Japanese culture. Every thing is not always going to be flowery and happy for you, sorry, it is time to grow up.

[lagputt]

on 12/14/2007 one should have to look this kind of thing up, not have it drop into your mail box

[JohanM]

on 12/14/2007 It's still published because it can serve as an informative article for people wanting to know about this for research purposes. The same reason you can find this information on wikipedia and other sites.

[RCane]

on 12/13/2007 EHow should remove this.