Seppuku


 

Seppuku ( lit."stomach-cutting") is a Japanese word that means ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku is better known in English as hara-kiri () and is written with the same kanji as seppuku but in reverse order with an okurigana. However, in Japanese hara-kiri is considered a colloquial and somewhat vulgar term. The practice of committing seppuku at the death of one's master is known as oibara (?? or ???); the ritual is similar.

Related Topics:
Japanese - Ritual suicide - Disembowelment - English - Kanji - Okurigana

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~ Table of Content ~

Introduction
Overview
Ritual
The Western experience
Seppuku in modern Japan
Well-known people who committed seppuku
In pop culture
See also
Further reading

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