![]() ![]() c) Seppuku and harakiri are written by using the same Chinese characters which are read differently.b) Japanese people usually do not use the word harakiri, it is more commonly used by foreigners.a) the word seppuku emerged in the late 15th century, a few hundred years after the first honorable suicide in official records.Some etymological differences between harakiri and seppuku are: On the other hand, the first mention of seppuku was in 1882 in a text referring to the punishment of criminals. Both refer to the same form of self-execution via disembowelment, and both ostensibly mean “ cut the stomach.” The f irst mention of harakiri in the Western literature was in 1846 which underlined self sacrifice. Seppuku and harakiri are in essence the words that have the same meanings. When executed correctly, seppuku was considered to be the noblest way for a samurai to die, and from eyewitness accounts of such ritualistic suicide, probably the most painful. Only samurai can perform harakiri commoners cannot (they can, but the action would not have any significant value).Ī samurai before the obligatory harakiri Image Source: Le Tour Du Monde Japan What are the differences between seppuku and harakiri? The seppuku custom dates back to the 12th century as a means for the upper and samurai classes exclusively to atone for crimes, regain lost honour, or avoid disgraceful capture. Harakiri refers to the action of cutting stomach while seppuku represents the ritual and the traditional procedure of cutting the stomach.ĭemonstration and explanation of Seppuku and Harakiri Harakiri and seppuku mean exactly the same thing in Japanese, but, Japanese people almost never use the word harakiri and prefer the word seppuku instead. Hara-kiri means stomach-cutting in Japanese where the word hara refers to stomach and kiri refers to cutting. ![]() Seppuku is honorable death or ritualistic suicide by disembowelment that can only be conducted by a samurai.
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