"Hara-kiri (Seppuku)"

To complete the act of seppuku,
I shall expose my true meaning.
Here, in this garden of ritual,
I shall achieve the sacred act of atonement...

Adorned in white to symbolize purity,
I transcribe and present my thoughts, to signify my state of mind.
Whether dying for resistance, remonstrance, loyalty, or expiation,
My disgrace and defeat are atoned.

The kozuka is laid infront of me,
Bound and wrapped in paper, with it's end inches exposed.
I strip down and allow my pale garments to fall,
Revealing my naked, burdened body.

Picking up the kozuka, which rests on tray,
I press it to my stomach,
Cutting left to right in a straight line.
I pull it out sharply, so my entrails are shown,
Displaying my "true intentions", unfolding my true self.

Holding my slit, bleeding stomach,
The kaishaku comes forward, presenting a sword,
Waiting for my given signal.
I lean forward in an angle of proper spinal alignment,
And I give him my signal to begin.
My kaishaku dispatches my head with the sharp sword,
Displaying a "daki-kubi" cut.
With this cut performed,
My inner life turns black, and perishes.

My inanimate head is left attached to my body by a small piece of skin.
My kaishaku ensures my face is hidden,
And he entirely removes the stigma of decapitation,
Displaying and demonstrating his skill with a sword.

After this ceremony is completed,
My beheaded body is picked up and buried.
The sword is discarded,
for having been "tainted with death."
This is my hara-kiri... my seppuku... my ritual of atonement.

02/01/04

Hara-kiri (otherwise known as "seppuku"), is an elegant suicide ritual where the belly is sliced (hara belly, kiri a cutting), and afterards the head is decapitated. It was used by the japanese, usually samurai'.

A "kozuka" is a 11.5 inch knife used for hara-kiri. During the ceremony, it is presented on a sambo tray.

The belly and spirit are often synonymous in japanese, as well as some other cultures in the world. The japanese believed your intestines revealed your "true intentions" in life.

The "kaishaku", or otherwise known as "second", is often a close friend or relative to the one commiting hara-kiri. I believe it was thought that someone close would complete the ceremony.

Unable to interpret "daki-kubi", I'm sure it's the certain type of cut that would be used to perform decapitation.