How Do You Perform Seppuku (Hari-Kari)?
Commonly known as hari-kari to foreigners, seppuku is the ancient Japanese tradition of ritual suicide. Reasons to commit seppuku included junshi (killing yourself upon the death of your lord), funshi (to express great indignation), kanshi (to rebuke one’s lord for his behavior), to atone for dishonorable actions, or to avoid capture, disgrace, torture, and/or execution in battle. The art of seppuku is as complicated, if not moreso, than chado – the Japanese tea ceremony. Recruit a kaishakunin. This will be your assistant, and the one who actually kills you. If your seppuku is a death sentence, a kaishakunin will likely be provided for you. Otherwise, you can ask a iaijutsuka (practitioner of the technique of killing with a single sword stroke), or a close personal friend. Find yourself a garden or Buddhist temple (Shinto temples should not be defiled with death). You should be dressed in all white, and sit in the seiza position (legs drawn up under your body, so that you actually sit
