Hara-Kiri: Japanese Ritual Suicide

by Jack Seward

Hari-Kiri is a definitive text on Japanese ritual suicide, also known as suppuku .

To the average westerner, the word hara-kiri conjures up an image of excruciating, self-inflicted pain; of a deep, fatal incision. To the Japanese, this kind of suicide embodies the best qualities of courage, honor, and discipline.

Through extensive research, author Jack Seward brings to the English-speaking public a dissertation on the subject that is thoroughly enlightening. Fluent in speaking, reading, and writing Japanese, he was able to glean information from ancient documentsmany of them scrolls in the Japanese archivesthat few foreigners have seen. The earliest writings on hara-kiri (known more formally as seppuku) are thus revealed, as are the intricate rituals surrounding the ceremony.

"The major purpose of this book," says the author, "is to clarify the historical and sociological significance of a unique method of self-destruction." In fulfilling this purpose, author Seward has come up with a definitive work that is sure to arouse interest both as a scholarly effort and as simple, fascinating reading.

Genres: History, Japan, Martial Arts, Nonfiction, Sociology, Japanese Literature

116 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 1968

About the author

Since 1941 Jack Seward has been involved with the Japanese language as student, teacher, and author of more than 30 books. He has also been a lecturer on Japanese culture and communication as well as a professional interpreter and translator. In 1986 the Emperor of Japan awarded Seward the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class, for his efforts. Seward now lives in his native Texas with his Japanese wife.

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those having specific interest this is a good book providing lots of information; historical perspective, social development, and some nuances of the activity. The Kaishaku, one that delivers the coup de grace, is discussed in depth. His responsibilities, the skills involved, and the honor attached.

Bushido was brutal.

[Galatea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise overview of the history and social justificiations around Japanese ritual suicide. In 100 pages, the book does a good job of showing what and how the procedures around it are done, but I wish it did more to explain /why/ such a practice endured for so long.

Granted, the book explores a great deal into the societal pressures around when and why seppuku was expected, and further exploration of these themes might be made by studying the Death Poems of those about to commit, as well as looking at the wider cultural history these elites were in.

The scholarship for this book does appear sound. Looking up the author online, it's claimed that he received the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1986 for his works on spreading Japanese culture, I couldn't find any official sources to back up this claim.

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short survey of the history of Japanese ritual suicide and its relationship to the samurai class. Jack Seward explores the origins of seppuku (or hara-kiri) in the 12th Century and the complex ways in which it embodied the values of the emerging samurai elite: courage, loyalty, stoicism, and dedication to duty. He also examines how seppuku and other forms of "self destruction" were employed by individuals, which acts were considered admirable and which problematic, how authorities used it as punishment, and how the post-Tokugawa government eliminated the practice, only for it to resurface during the early 20th Century.

[Margot · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short overview of the history and ritual surrounding hara kiri, or seppuku, the self-disembowelment that was seen as an honorable way to die for samurai who had offended in some way. Told from the perspective of a Western writer for a Western audience.

[Adrian Puente Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book long time ago but helped me to understand what it means and how it´s done. You should read The 47 Ronin first because it has an spoiler.