Read Online Hara-Kiri: Japanese Ritual Suicide by Jack Seward - Free Book Online

fan came into use. Of course, these methods were used in the case of crimes which could not be punished in the more honorable way as well as in the case of the lower grades of samurai. However, Yamaoka Shummei, deploring the abuse of the true spirit of genuine seppuku, wrote in his Seppuku Jisatsu Kojitsu no Koto (Old Facts about Seppuku and Suicide):
We have these days an established manner of seppuku using the kaishaku-nin in a way which renders use of the dirk unnecessary. A fan is placed on the sambo tray; when it is picked up, the seppuku performer is instantly decapitated. It doesn't matter whether he knows how to disembowel himself or not. Such cannot be called seppuku, but only decapitation.
    The forms of these quasi-seppuku are as follows:
Sensu-bara or "Fan Hara-kiri." Instead of the seppuku dirk, a fan is placed on the sambo tray. The condemned might have been decapitated for his crime but, being miti gated one degree, he was permitted this "imitation sep puku." It might be more proper to classify this as ranking between seppuku and decapitation.
    The fan to be used was prepared in this manner: its rivet was removed and the two major stays broken; the entire fan was held together by only a paper string. The traditional Japanese idea is that the fan symbolizes a blessing and happiness because of its ever widening shape. This shape cannot be held without the rivet and the two retaining stays. Hence, for the purpose of seppuku, this symbol of blessing was distorted.
    Mizu-bara or "Water Hara-kiri." Originally two small, unglazed dishes were colored gold, silver, vermilion, and green, and were brought to the condemned. When he had poured the water from the upper dish into the one underneath while holding them high in a prayerful posture, his head was cut off.
    Later, exactly when is uncertain, this rite also was abbreviated, so that just one unglazed earthenware dish was set forth, without any water. In this case also, the symbolism was marred by chipping the rim of the dish. Even this simple, chipped dish, substituted for the seppuku dirk, saved the face of a samurai.
    This "water hara-kiri" was inferior in grade to "fan harakiri," and, therefore, was closer to decapitation. The reason for chipping the rim of the earthenware dish was simply to show that a new one, i.e., a sign of benediction, was not used. While the condemned held this dish on his right knee, his head was cut off.
    At this level of punishment, however, either kamishimo (including surcoat and hakama, loose trousers) or just the hakama were allowed, depending on the rank of the condemned. It was like standard seppuku, however, in that the same tatami were used and the kaishaku-nin was dressed the same.
    Te-bara or "Hand Hara-kiri." Te-bara was alternatively called yubi-bara or "finger hara-kiri," toshu, or soe-bara. This penalty was just under mizu-bara, and only slightly higher than mere beheading. Whereas the condemned should have been decapitated, his punishment was mitigated for some consideration by one degree. In this case, he was not allowed to sit on regular tatami, but on a thin matting called usuberi, a kind of rush mat, while he wore only a plain white kimono. The man who performed the function of kaishaku was not called by that name, but rather tachi-tori or sword-taker, and this was not considered to be a job for a regular samurai. The tachi-tori was chosen from among the ashigam class; he wore a plain, white kimono, the skirt of which was tucked up behind. His striking posture was also less formal; he waited at the right side of the condemned to take advantage of a favorable moment to strike.
    Uchi-kubi or "Beheading." Uchi-kubi was also called morokubi, meaning the whole head. Among the three forms of beheading, this penalty ranked the highest in treatment received. The seriousness of the crime was indicated by the choice of place of execution: the premises of the house where confined, at a temple, or in an open field. The criminal was not