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seppuku

 
Dictionary: sep·pu·ku   (sĕp'ū-kū, sĕ-pū'-) pronunciation
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n.
Ritual suicide by disembowelment formerly practiced by Japanese samurai. Also called hara-kiri.

[Japanese : setsu, to cut (from Middle Chinese tshet) + fuku, stomach, abdomen (from Middle Chinese fuwk).]


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: seppuku
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Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment, practiced by members of the samurai class. Suicide by disembowelment was favoured because it was slow and painful and therefore demonstrated courage, self-control, and strong resolve. Voluntary seppuku was performed to avoid the dishonour of capture, show loyalty to one's lord by following him into death, protest against some policy of a superior, or atone for failure. Obligatory seppuku was a method of capital punishment for a samurai, who would be beheaded by a second once he had made an initial stab wound himself. Obligatory seppuku was abolished in 1873, but voluntary seppuku continued to occur. Notable 20th-century examples included those of army officer Nogi Maresuke and writer Yukio Mishima. See also bushido.

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more

 

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