Seppuku (切腹, lit. 'cutting [the] belly'), also called harakiri (腹切り, lit. 'abdomen/belly cutting', a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment.

Seppuku is a form of taking one’s own life that was considered honourable among the feudal Japanese samurai class. Traditionally, the act consisted of stabbing oneself in the abdomen with a …

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. Harakiri refers to the action of cutting …

Jun 1, 2025 · Seppuku is the term formal and honorable rooted in the Samurai Code (Bushidō) and preferred in historical or official contexts. Harakiri, on the other hand, is the most version colloquial …

Apr 25, 2025 · Seppuku is a ritual form of suicide by disembowelment. It was practiced mainly by samurai —the noble warrior class of ancient Japan. Unlike common ideas of suicide that come from …

Seppuku was a form of ritual suicide by disembowelment that allowed a warrior to preserve honour when facing shame, failure, or inevitable capture. It was expected to be carried out with ritualistic …

Seppuku is a traditional Japanese form of ritual suicide closely associated with the ancient samurai warrior class. Sometimes also referred to as hara-kiri, seppuku is typically performed by stabbing or …

Jan 18, 2026 · Samurais performed seppuku, the act of ritual self-disembowelment, as a form of honorable suicide.

May 3, 2005 · Seppuku is a ritualized form of suicide in Japanese society. Behind this violent and extreme act lies a deeply rooted concept in Japanese ethics: an honorable death was traditionally …

Beginning in the 1400s, seppuku evolved into a common form of capital punishment for samurai who had committed crimes. In each case, it was considered an act of extreme bravery and self-sacrifice …