What is hara-kiri? Harakiri and Sepukku - what are they and what are the differences between Japanese rituals

23.09.2014 0 12600

In Japan, there is a type of ritual murder, which has been elevated to a real cult in dramatic plays Kabuki theater, thanks to which she became famous throughout the world.

In the West this ritual is called "harakiri", which literally means “ripping open the belly,” is a word that every samurai warrior should be ashamed of. The correct term for its name is "seppuku". For the Japanese, the word “seppuku” is filled with a special mystery, which is associated with the ancient idea of ​​the stomach as a container for the mind.

Therefore, by committing seppuku, brave men thereby cleansed themselves of sin, for which, in fact, they died. But although this ritual has brought Japan wide fame throughout the world, similar ceremonies are observed throughout Asia, and Japan forms only a small part of its vast territory. Some tribes in Eastern Siberia showed a surprising tendency towards suicide, and the Samoyeds, for example, openly argued that suicide was “an act pleasing to God.”

Shintoism, which later created the rite of hara-kiri, flourished long before the Chinese brought Buddhism to Japan, back in the 6th century AD. Such primitive Shintoism was based on the reverence of ancestors and nature. A thousand years later it almost completely disappeared due to the triumph of Buddhism everywhere. But Shintoism saw its renaissance.

This was reflected in two cornerstone principles: mystical devotion to the emperor and the accumulation of high moral values ​​and virtues left at the disposal of descendants by deceased ancestors. These two principles were, of course, interrelated, for moral values ​​mainly depend on the cult of the emperor, who was considered not only the representative of God on earth, but also occupied, together with the members of his family, a middle position somewhere between God and man.

According to Shinto traditions, the emperor had no right to ever appear in public, and even among the privileged nobles who were allowed to hear his voice, only very few understood him, since on such occasions he spoke in the obscure sacred dialect of the ancient Japanese language. Such a tireless pursuit of virtues made a person contempt for this earthly life, making him deeply believe that he would certainly unite with his ancestors in paradise.

During the revival of the Shinto religion, the samurai movement arose - a close-knit, well-organized society founded by the Tokugawa shogun rulers, who first came to power in early XVII century and ruled Japan until 1867. Their reign is known in history as the Edo period, taking its name from the capital of the country, which is today Tokyo. Samurai ethics were based on the twin pillars of Shintoism: unquestioning worship of the emperor and a strict code of honor (bushido).

The main thing in bushido is the young warrior’s frantic desire to sacrifice himself, but only after he himself has defeated as many enemies as possible. Samurai, who were distinguished from others by their hairstyle: a shaved forehead in front and a knot of hair on the top of the head, as well as their outfit - a kimono, which usually sported a clan badge, devoted their entire lives to martial arts. They always carried two swords - one long, the other short. This weapon had a special mysticism.

A two-handed sword served them to perform legendary feats, and with a short sword they beheaded enemies who had fallen on the battlefield - such a custom could have been a consequence ancient custom"skull hunt" Ultimately, the short sword also served the samurai for suicide, and each of them knew how to make hara-kiri for themselves - this skill was achieved through daily training.

This very dark type of suicide first appeared in the 8th century, and then it was included in the code of honor of all samurai, and it was based on Shintoism. The samurai was obliged to make hara-kiri for himself in order not to be captured by the enemy or to wash away the dishonor he had brought upon himself.

In its original form, the act of hara-kiri required enormous courage and willpower, as it involved two traditional deep cuts in the stomach and then a final fatal blow to the peritoneum. In practice, quite often the victim did not have enough strength to inflict serious damage on himself. deep wound and commit suicide, and his comrade finished him off for him, who, as required by the ritual, stood nearby all the time while the victim cut his stomach. In this case, he cut off his head with a long sword.

In the Edo period, the victim only cut his stomach from left to right with a short sword, and such a cut was often shallow and did not lead to death. Then his comrade came to the rescue and ended his dying agony, cutting off the unfortunate man’s head. At this time, warriors were even forced to commit hara-kiri for shameful offenses.

However, for the Japanese main principle remained unchanged: if the ritual was observed as required, then such an act in any aspect was purely religious in nature and was, in fact, a religious sacrifice, regardless of whose initiative it was carried out - according to at will sacrifice or was imposed on her from above - the same name of the ritual corresponded to both of its variants.

The rite of harakiri survived into modern Japan, which was formed with the arrival of foreigners there and the fall of the Edo regime in 1867. Although the samurai class was abolished as a relic of the old feudalism, ritual killings were still carried out on a number of occasions. The spirit of the samurai was still alive, and the Japanese kamikaze pilots in World War II also honored the bushido code.

British diplomat Sir Ernst Satow witnessed the hara-kiri ceremony in 1864. Japanese officer Taki Tsenzaburo was ordered to take his own life because he had dishonored himself by firing on foreigners who had recently arrived in the country. One representative from each diplomatic mission was invited to the Buddhist temple. The messengers were even given the opportunity to talk to the victim.

The officer condemned to death entered the temple from the left aisle, accompanied by two “kaishaku,” or “most exemplary people,” followed by two more. He squatted down on a small hill covered with red material. They handed him a sword on a wooden stand, and he turned to everyone present with a request to become eyewitnesses of his heroic death.

Then he took off his outer clothing and tied the long sleeves of his shirt under his knees so as not to tip over while performing the act. Now he was naked to the waist. Taking the dagger in right hand, as close to the tip as possible, he first stabbed himself in the chest, and then plunged the dagger into the left side of his stomach, quickly spreading it with a confident movement from left to right.

After that, he leisurely leaned forward with his whole body, throwing his head back far behind his back so that the sword could fall unhindered on his neck. One of the "kaishaku" who had accompanied him as he walked around the two rows of eyewitnesses now stood next to the bleeding victim, holding his sword high in the air. Suddenly jumping on the spot, he brought his sword down on the unfortunate man’s neck with such a roar as if a clap of thunder had been heard in the temple. The head rolled on the mat-covered floor...

Taki, apparently, himself asked his comrade for a favor so that the ceremony of cutting open his stomach would not be so painful. Other stories about similar rituals give many gloomy, simply monstrous details. For example, sometimes samurai, burying their hands in the peritoneum, tore out their intestines.

In an earlier version of the hara-kiri ritual, the victim, after ripping open his stomach with a sword, cut his carotid artery with the sword to hasten death. This method was used extremely rarely, but one was still noted similar case in 1912, when Emperor Meiji died. General, Count Nogi, hero of the siege of Port Arthur during Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905, decided to follow his master to the grave.

Nogi Maresuke - General of the Empire of Japan and third Governor-General of Taiwan

He not only made a deep diagonal incision in the abdomen, but also cut the carotid artery, that is, he accomplished a feat that required special, unparalleled courage. His wife followed her husband's example, cutting her throat with a dagger in exactly the manner prescribed in such cases for all female samurai spouses.

After successful completion During the war between Japan and China in 1895, several people committed hara-kiri, but not in order to celebrate the victory in this way, but as a sign of protest against the too soft, in their opinion, terms of the peace treaty, which the voluntary victims considered dishonorable for themselves.

The last rites of harakiri took place in 1945 after the surrender of Japan, but then a small group of Japanese, mostly senior officers, took their lives.

They say that the true difference between the two terms meaning suicide with a special edged weapon can only be determined by the real one. But in this article we will try to describe seppuku and hara-kiri. There must still be a difference between these concepts!

Ancient custom

The samurai practiced the ritual of suicide in ancient times. This happened for various reasons. For example, if a warrior allowed his master (daimyo) to die, he felt deprived of honor. By committing seppuku, samurai showed their courage and loyalty to their overlords, thus neglecting death and the feeling of fear. Seppuku could be committed not only voluntarily, but also by sentence, as a kind of punishment. And if the person performing the ritual was not trusted for some reason, a special dagger (kusungobu) could be replaced with a fan, with which the samurai touched his stomach, and at that time the assistant (kaishakunin) carried out the decapitation with a sword.

Seppuku and hara-kiri. Reading difference

The search for truth for a Westerner who is not accustomed to the traditions of the East is further complicated by the fact that in fact both words are denoted by the same hieroglyphs, only their places have been swapped. In Japan, there are two ways to read the hieroglyphic alphabet: upper and lower. Hence the difference in reading between seppuku and hara-kiri. The upper interpretation is as follows: entrails/rip open (seb-puku). At the bottom: read as rip open/stomach (hara-kiri). There is also a semantic difference in the interpretations of seppuku and hara-kiri. The difference is this: hara-kiri - more general term, which in colloquial speech. It rather means any suicide through the use of knives (and also in figuratively, for example, suicide for a suicide bomber).

Book style

Seppuku is rather a book term, and the so-called high calm. It implies a purely ritual samurai suicide, which is performed in compliance with all sorts of conventions characteristic of the action. Thus, the difference between hara-kiri and seppuku is that the first term is general, and the second is more specific.

A little more history

The ritual of suicide has a centuries-old tradition. Another two thousand years ago in the Kuril Islands and Japanese islands, similar actions were used in Mongolia and Manchuria. At first, the ritual was performed solely of one’s own will. Then, several centuries later, it began to be used as punishment by order from above. Among the military aristocracy in Japan of the Middle Ages, the custom became widespread. Some historians explain this fact because in Japan at that time there were no prisons, and there were only two types of punishment: for minor violations - physical beating, for major violations - death. Also, the ritual was almost the only option to wash away the shame and prove the honesty of one’s intentions. And the concept of honor was highly valued among samurai.

Secret meaning

Harakiri and seppuku: there is a difference in secret sense actions. Of historical interest is the fact that the seppuku ritual is performed by opening the abdomen. According to research scientists, such a gesture symbolizes the nakedness of the soul (and the stomach is traditionally perceived as a container vital energy, which evaporates when opened). Sometimes the samurai might not agree with the charges brought and the verdict announced. Thus, by cutting open the stomach, a person showed the purity of his thoughts, the openness of his soul, and, accordingly, his innocence.

Strength and courage

The ritual itself required remarkable strength and courage from the samurai, since the intestinal area is traditionally a painful area. The blow had to be precise and not too deep so as not to damage the spine. It was considered a special manifestation of courage to keep a smile on your face during the process. There are cases when a samurai wrote dying poems with his own blood. Later, the performer of the ritual was allowed to lean on the knife rather than make an X-shaped cut. Even later, to prevent a person from losing control of himself during suicide, a special assistant cut off the samurai’s head with a sword.

Harakiri

The Japanese use this word in everyday colloquial speech (by the way, it has taken root in the Russian language). It means simple suicide, cutting open the abdomen without ritual. So, what is the difference between seppuku and hara-kiri? We can say in other words: harakiri was done by commoners, and seppuku was done by samurai, although, in essence, these are very similar concepts.

Residents of the country Rising Sun their concept of honor and attitude towards death than that of Europeans. Dying of old age was considered unworthy of a warrior; it was better if death came from the sword. In some cases, to protect their honor, samurai committed suicide - hara-kiri(seppuku).

Adherents of the Zen Buddhism religion believed that the stomach is the repository of the human soul. Therefore, death through cutting it open was considered noble and thoughts sincere.

Most of you know about the famous Japanese ritual murders which are called seppuku and hara-kiri. There is a difference between these concepts, but it is small. To understand it, you need to have a good knowledge of Japanese culture and history.

Ritual suicides

Seppuku and hara-kiri were especially popular in medieval Japan. The difference between them will be described in this article. They were accepted among the samurai. They consisted of cutting open one's stomach.

This form of taking one’s own life was used either as punishment (there were even similar types of sentences), or independently and voluntarily. In the latter case, this happened when the warrior’s honor was hurt. By committing such ritual suicide, samurai demonstrated their fearlessness in the face of death, as well as the purity and integrity of their thoughts.

If suicide was committed according to a sentence, then the attacker did not always agree with such punishment. Therefore, instead of a ritual dagger, a fan was used. The accused barely touched his stomach, and the assistant at that moment beheaded him.

Need to know that Japanese samurai It was not by chance that this method was chosen. The fact is that penetrating wounds of the abdominal cavity are considered the most painful. Women who classified themselves as samurai could cut their throats or stab themselves in the heart instead of seppuku.

What is the difference?

In essence, both are ritual suicide, but there are still differences between seppuku and hara-kiri. The difference is who does it.

The first must be carried out strictly certain rules. It was committed by Japanese samurai who allowed the death of their master (he was called a daimyo), or by sentence.

Harakiri is a word that the Japanese actively use in colloquial speech. It is noteworthy that in Japanese both terms are written the same way, with the same two hieroglyphs. Only depending on the value they change places.

Thus, seppuku involves strict adherence to all rules and traditions. Harakiri means ordinary suicide, cutting open the abdomen without any ritual. As a rule, hara-kiri was committed by ordinary, ordinary commoners, seppuku was committed only by samurai. At the same time, in essence, they are one and the same - seppuku and hara-kiri. The difference is not that big. Especially for a European person.

How did the suicide go?

Now let’s take a closer look at what seppuku and hara-kiri were. Descriptions of the ritual are given in numerous Japanese medieval texts.

Most importantly, the suicide cuts his stomach from left to right. Moreover, you need to do this twice. First horizontally, starting from the left side and ending near the right. And then vertically - from the diaphragm to the navel.

Over time, this method began to be used not only for suicide, but also for the privileged death penalty. They developed their own separate ritual for her. It consisted in the fact that the assistant of the person sentenced to death cut off his head at a certain moment.

However, there was a big legal difference between seppuku beheading and ordinary beheading, which also existed in Japan. Only privileged people could lose their heads through seppuku. Ordinary people simply chopped it off.

Seppuku ideology

It is interesting that seppuku and hara-kiri had important ideological significance. The definition of these methods of suicide came down to the fact that the first ritual was fully consistent with the tenets of Buddhism, widespread in Japan. He confirmed the idea of ​​the frailty and essence of earthly existence and the impermanence of everything that happens in human life.

It is noteworthy that in Buddhist philosophy the center of life was concentrated not in the head, as in many other religions, but precisely in the stomach. It was believed that this is where the average position is located, which contributes to harmonious development a person, his balanced state.

As a result, samurai performed the opening of the abdomen using the seppuku method to demonstrate the purity of their thoughts and aspirations. To prove your inner rightness, to finally justify yourself before people and heaven.

Who committed seppuku?

Many famous and noble Japanese committed seppuku. For example, general imperial army Koretika Anami. Shortly before the defeat in World War II, he was appointed head of the army. The very next day after signing the surrender, he committed traditional Japanese ritual suicide. So these traditions did not remain in the Middle Ages, but were actively used in the 20th century.

Another famous case occurred in the 16th century. The country's military and political leader Oda Nobunaga committed suicide after dedicating his entire life to unifying the country. Having lost a decisive battle in 1582, he was forced to commit seppuku, surrounded by his retinue and several close associates. Today he is considered one of the most outstanding samurai in Japanese history.

Often many amateurs Japanese culture and customs, quite reasonable questions arise related to one of the most exotic and extravagant traditions. Of course, we usually talk about the ritual of hara-kiri or seppuku. What is the essence of this action and is there any difference between seppuku and hara-kiri?

Indeed, the word “harakiri” is one of the most famous words of Japanese origin on the European continent. As a result, it is quite common for ordinary person. Moreover, 70% of Europeans believe that they have information about the true meaning of this word.

In addition, another 20% had heard of it at some point, but never used it in their vocabulary. And the other 10% generally believe that they do not need to study the culture of other countries. Be that as it may, there is also a category of Europeans who are always interested in such issues. So, are there any differences between these terms, and if so, what are they?

In fact, there is practically no difference in these two concepts, except in the process of pronunciation and use. Both hara-kiri and seppuku are designated as “ritual suicides.” Moreover, even in written form they are outlined in the same way.

The only difference is that in the first case, the hieroglyph symbolizing the stomach is first drawn, and only after that the verb form “to cut” comes. Whereas with the hieroglyph seppuku things are exactly the opposite.

You should also know that the word “harakiri” itself is still considered by the Japanese to be almost abusive, derogatory, and generally colloquial, and as a result it is not used at all. In our country, only the word “harakiri” is used. However, every more or less literate Japanese scholar knows for certain that this is just such a sophistication in the Russian language.

But that's not all. In ancient times, this supposedly “village”, “common people” word “harakiri” meant suicide. And not a simple one, but one that was not produced in accordance with the rules of the samurai code, in fact, without due respect for this document. While the seppuku ritual was carefully prepared, and it seemed that this was perhaps the most terrifying theatrical performance. If we move on to the translation of these two words at the level of phraseological units, it turns out that hara-kiri will simply mean “giving up ends,” and seppuku, more elegantly, “departure to another world.”

Carrying out the ritual

The process itself took place mainly in public, and amazed with its composure, restraint and determination of the warrior to achieve a “noble” death. Actually, based on this, the samurai prepared for the hara-kiri ritual in advance.

The warrior began his day with a bath, dressed in his best kimono white, ate my favorite dishes. After I felt complete physical saturation and saturation with what was in last time was able to enjoy the joys of earthly life, he sat down on the rug in front of the audience. A sword was placed in front of the warrior on a cloth or on a plate.

Particular attention was paid to the choice of weapon with which the samurai was going to take his own life. It is for ordinary people there is no difference in this. Whereas the Japanese samurai took this event very seriously.

Among the samurai, it was generally believed that with the help of this ceremony they could truly purify themselves before heaven and people. According to established tradition, harakiri was performed with the help of a special Kusungobu dagger, and in the most exceptional cases, for these “noble” purposes, samurai used the Wakizashi sword.

However, the event did not end with just the choice of a weapon for “self-destruction”. All processes took place rather slowly. In addition, the samurai still had time to declare his dying poem. This work was written about death and things dear to the warrior.

Samurai could select assistants for themselves, who were most often close friends or relatives. Such assistants were chosen in order to immediately cut off the head, saving the samurai from terrible torment, but here, too, not everything is so simple. At the same time, another goal was pursued besides saving a friend. Such friends were given a unique opportunity to demonstrate the level of their swordsmanship.

Subsequently, the hara-kiri ritual was transferred to the battlefields. There, the defeated warriors, after being greatly upset by the fiasco, decided to take their own lives, and the winners, out of a sense of nobility, agreed to cut off their heads. And this practice has become firmly established in the courts. Thus, judges could impose sentences on guilty citizens in the form of a seppuku ritual.

Bushido - samurai code of honor

The process of suicide by stabbing a dagger into the abdomen is closely related to bushido, the samurai code of honor. Then it was generally accepted that by retreating to another world, samurai avoided the dishonor and undesirability of captivity, which would affect the reputation of certain warriors. After seppuku began to spread, samurai who had committed crimes were allowed to kill themselves.

In addition, samurai had the right to demand seppuku for their enemies. As a result, they could vent all their rage. At the same time, for other people it might look like the noble samurai wants the soul of a sinner to be saved and reborn. In addition, the code of samurai honor indicated that main goal ritual suicide was to demonstrate to Heaven their good intentions. For example, a vassal was killed in battle. Then his subordinate may come up with the idea of ​​performing a hara-kiri ritual in order to prove his devotion to the ruler, etc.

Women's attitude towards seppuku

Women were also “given” the right to take their own lives by suicide. However, they did this in a quieter environment, without excessive pathos, and especially without witnesses. Each of them always carried a dagger for self-defense, a kaiken, which could be used as a knife for hara-kiri. Using a kaiken, they cut their neck arteries, but even here it was necessary to observe a certain formality, namely, bend to the side. This is a Japanese association with the wilting of a flower.

Harakiri as a ritual was abolished in 1968. However, incidents of similar suicides still occur today.