Jun 18, 2020
On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is
seppuku?
Topics
Discussed
- A breakdown of the word seppuku
- A breakdown of the word hara-kiri
- Whether "hara-kiri" is a term used only by
foreigners
- The glorification and beautification of seppuku
- The history and origin of seppuku/belly cutting
- The differences between the terms seppuku and hara-kiri, and
which is more commonly used in Japan
- The earliest known Japanese story involving belly cutting
- Harasaki marsh
- Minamoto no Tmetomo
- The "Golden Age" of seppuku
- Seppuku as a symbol of the elite
- Who was allowed to commit sanctioned seppuku
- The end of officially sanctioned seppuku
- Whether seppuku should really be considered suicide
- Why seppuku involves cutting open the belly rather than other
body parts such as the wrists
- The discrepancies found in seppuku manuals
- The steps and rules of a formal Edo period seppuku
ceremony
- What a kaishakunin is
- What dakikubi is
- The usage of paper fans rather than swords during seppuku
- Children committing seppuku
- The seppuku of the famed 47 ronin
- The places where formal seppuku ceremonies would be held and
why seppuku would not normally be done at shrines
- The different types of cuts used when belly cutting
(jūmonji, ichimonji, hachimonji,
sanmonji)
- Oibara
- How a retainer of Oda Nobunaga's father guilt tripped Oda
Nobunaga by commiting seppuku
- The anime style "concealed belly cut"
- Seppuku as murder
- Seppuku caused by depression
- The over-the-top nature of kabuki
- Junshi
- Seppuku as a way to preserve the honor and status of one's
family
- And more!
Support on
Patreon
If you enjoy Ichimon Japan and want to ensure that
we're able to produce more episodes, then please consider becoming
a patron on Patreon.com. For a minimum pledge of $2 a month you'll
get access to exclusive content and our eternal, profound, and
undrying gratitude.
Sources, Links, Videos, Etc.
The vast majority of the information cited during this episode
came from the book Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide
by Andrew Rankin. It is a very well-researched, informative, and
fun to read book that has a whole lot more information than what we
were able to cover in this episode. If you would like to get a copy
of the book for yourself, please consider using the Amazon
affiliate link below. It won't cost you anything extra and it will
help support what we're doing here at Japankyo.com.
You can also just use the link below to do your shopping on
Amazon, while at the same time supporting Japankyo.
If you haven't gotten your fill of disembowelment and are
curious about the "intestines episode" that was mentioned during
this episode, then check out episode two of Ichimon
Japan.
Use the link below to check out the episode of Japan
Station that was mentioned during the commercial break in this
episode.
Japanese Vocabulary
List
Most episodes feature at least one or two interesting Japanese
words or phrases. Here’s some of the ones that came up on this
episode. All information is from Jim Breen's
WWWJDIC.
- Seppuku
- 切腹 【せっぷく】 (n,vs) seppuku; harakiri; ritual suicide by
disembowelment
- Hara-kiri
- 腹切り : 腹切り; 腹切 【はらきり】 (n,vs) (See 切腹) harakiri; seppuku; ritual
suicide by disembowelment
- Junshi
- 殉死 【じゅんし】 (n,vs) following one's master into the grave;
committing suicide after one's lord has died
- Kaishakunin
- 介錯人 【かいしゃくにん; かいしゃくじん】 (n) (1) (See 介錯・1) person who beheads
somebody to end a seppuku; (2) assistant; helper
We Want Your
Questions
Is there something about Japan that confuses you? Is there
something about Japanese culture that you would like to learn more
about? Is there something in Japanese history that you would like
us to explain? We're always looking for new questions about Japan
to answer, so if you have one, please send it to ichimon@japankyo.com.
Special
Thanks
Opening/Closing Theme: Produced by Apol (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Fiverr)
Ichimon Japan cover art: Produced by Erik R.
Follow Japankyo on Social
Media
Full Show Notes