Death with Honor? Behind the Myths of Seppuku

An ukiyo-e picture in the Taiheiki eiyūden (Heroic Stories of the Taiheiki) series by Utagawa Yoshiiku shows Shimizu Muneharu. (Courtesy of the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library Special Collection Room)

Wealthy samurai might perform seppuku in their residence or garden, but those from the lower ranks did so in prison. This illustration shows a prison seppuku with the magistrate and attendants looking on.

There were many different methods of cutting for seppuku, but the ichimonji single cut from left to right was considered “elegant.” The jūmonji style followed the first cut with a vertical cut downward, although in practice, the kaishakunin assistant would complete the decapitation before it was finished.