It's time for another weekly Samurai Fact!

(WARNING! WARNING!
This week's fact is VERY gruesome. It is not for the faint of heart. Reader discretion is advised.)

This week's fact... Seppuku.

Also known as "Harakiri", seppuku is a form of ritual suicide committed by samurai for reasons that are often complex and confusing.

The major reason any samurai would ever commit to this is to prevent defeat or to preserve honor. If an enemy was moments away from defeating or killing a samurai, especially after breaking their will to carry on, a samurai might commit seppuku. Basically, they would defeat themselves before an enemy had the pleasure of defeating them. In this way, the samurai might not have won, but he didn't lose either. Seppuku can also be used a means of punishment, if a samurai has done something dishonorable enough to disgrace himself, his family, and/or the samurai title he represents. Committing heinous crimes or defying the way of bushido are examples of offenses punishable by seppuku. Another reason why a samurai might commit seppuku is if they disagree with the orders of their masters/lords; doing so is usually disgraceful for a samurai, but seppuku allows them to protest and retain their honor at the same time.

The act of seppuku itself is not as easy as just killing yourself in any way you like. There is a reason why it's called a "ritual" suicide; and that's because there is a ritual to performing it correctly.
Typically using a short sword such as a tanto, the samurai must pierce his belly/bowels, and then proceed to make a precise serious of cuts to disembowel himself. This act is usually performed in front of spectators, and when it has been ruled that the disemboweling has been done correctly, another samurai (an executioner) finishes the job by decapitating/slicing the throat of the one committing suicide (and if the cuts were not done correctly, the samurai would either have to try again or would be left alone to die from blood loss). There are variations of this ritual; one where the samurai kill himself after performing the ritual if an executioner cannot be present, one where a samurai gets a final drink or a final meal before committing the ritual, and one where the samurai recites a death poem before ending his own life.

By modern standards, the idea of suicide for any reason is considered horrible and a waste of precious life. However, in that feudal era when the samurai class was most prevalent, seppuku was proof of their dedication to loyalty, honor, and the way of the warrior (bushido).