KantriasBoard

Zoygaria wrote:

So, in feudal Japan, honor was an integral part of their society. They spent the entire day from sunrise to sunset perfecting their craft, and making the most of their day. Honor, particularly among the Samurai, was incredibly important— so important that I cannot stress it. The Samurai Bushido code was developed after Japan unified under one Emperor. The Samurai were the warrior caste, and thus their job was to fight. Since they had no enemies to fight, they spent their time perfecting their own skills. It is from this era, this time of peace, that the famous Samurai code of honor arose. The greatest honor of all was to die for defending one's family, or the Emperor. The Samurai viewed dying in combat as the most honorable thing one could do.

If someone felt that they had lost or tainted their honor, or a family member or friend had lost or tainted their honor, they could commit seppuku. Seppuku was a ritual suicide to regain one's honor, or the honor of someone else. It ties into the Japanese belief that death by combat is the most honorable demise. Now, in the modern era, we view such an act as savage, morally wrong, and sickening. However, it was a vastly different culture and way of life back then, and they had lived this way for centuries.

In the ritual act of seppuku, one drew a knife, and inserted it into their abdomen, performing several cuts. The Kaishakunin would stand above and behind the person committing seppuku, with a Katana drawn. Serving as Kaishakunin was the greatest honor, for it meant you aided someone in restoring theirs, and granting them a quick demise. If the person committing seppuku did so bravely and without fear, the Kaishakunin would decapitate them, granting a swift end to their suffering. Afterwards, all present would silently bow to honor the deceased.

It wasn't so much cutting of their head as making the process less painful, as bleeding out is a terrible way to go. Under today's standards it is of course heavily gawked at, but in feudal Japan, it was incredibly honorable, both for the person committing seppuku, and the Kaishakunin.