protest against some imperial decree or to escape to defeat in World War II. Also, writers like Emilio Salgari or Yukio Mishima chose death through this traditional method.
¿What is harakiri?
by their own hands in case they had brought dishonor on them.
It is called harakiri or seppuku (in Japanese the second term is preferred, since the first is vulgar; but in Spanish the preferred form is the first, sometimes Castilianized: harakiri) to a ritual form of suicide from Japanese tradition, and which consists of disemboweling, that is, evisceration, usually by means of a longitudinal cut in the abdomen, from left to right, using a dagger (tantö) or other edged weapon.
Seppuku was traditionally performed after thoroughly cleansing one's body, drinking sake (rice liquor), and composing a farewell poem (zeppitsu) on a war fan (tessen). In general, the cut in the belly was carried out in front of one or more spectators who, in case of failing the hand or the determination of the suicide, had to complete the task for him (known as kaishakunin).
This practice enjoyed traditional value in ancient Japan, as part of the samurai code of ethics (bushidö), which taught to die with honor and honor rather than be defeated and captured by the enemy, and could then be interrogated and tortured.
The election to assume such a responsibility was considered an honor or a show of affection or recognition. In some cases, wives or even slaves were expected to accompany their master in suicide, which was known as jisatsu and oibara, respectively.
At the same time, it was the only way to launder the honor of those who had committed unworthy acts or had betrayed their factions of origin. In fact, the feudal lords of ancient Japan could ask their warriors to consume this ritual suicide, as a form of execution
Today, we can see this ritual in a movie or television series, and Wow! which looks impressive. imagine having been able to witness it in the live moment of the task, or worse still, imagine yourself in such an extreme situation where you put your honor, your name and your pride at stake before the attentive gaze of those present, only with your Tanto in the hand and a conscience to clean, penetrating the leather, lacerating the flesh, tearing the entrails while the inertia of the mind orders to stop but the will of the spirit forces us to continue.
With these cultural assessments in tow, harakiri survived as a practice until contemporary times, despite its prohibition as a judicial penalty in 1873. Numerous Japanese soldiers practiced it during the 19th and 20th centuries, as a method of
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