They say that the true difference between the two terms meaning suicide with special edged weapons can only be determined by a real Japanese samurai. But in this article we will try to describe seppuku and hara-kiri. The difference between these concepts must still exist!
Ancient custom
Samurai used the suicide ritual in ancient times. This happened for various reasons. For example, if a warrior allowed the death of his master (daima), he felt deprived of honor. Performing seppuku (seppuku), the samurai showed their courage and loyalty to the overlords, thus neglecting death and a sense of fear. In medieval Japan, seppuku could be committed not only voluntarily, but also by sentence, as a kind of punishment. And in the event that for some reason they did not trust the person performing the ritual, a special dagger (kusungobu) could be replaced with a fan with which the samurai touched his stomach, and at that time the assistant (kaysyakunin) performed beheading with a sword.
Seppuku and Harakiri. Reading difference
The search for truth for a Westerner who is not used to the traditions of the East is also complicated by the fact that in fact both words are indicated by the same hieroglyphs, only exchanged places. In Japan, there are two ways to read the hieroglyphic alphabet: upper and lower. From here, seppuku and hara-kiri have a difference in reading. According to the upper interpretation: internals / rip (seb-puku). On the bottom: it reads how to rip / stomach (hara-kiri). There is also a semantic difference in the interpretations of seppuku and hara-kiri. The difference is: Harakiri is a more general term that the Japanese use in colloquial speech. Rather, it means any suicide through the use of knives (and, 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 Harakiri and Seppuku is observed in the fact that the first term generalizes, and the second is more specific.
Some more history
The ritual of suicide has a centuries-old tradition. Two millennia ago, similar actions were used in the Kuril Islands and the Japanese Islands, in Mongolia and Manchuria. At first, the ritual was performed solely of its own free will. Then, after several centuries, it began to be applied as punishment by order from above. Among the military aristocracy in Japan of the Middle Ages, the custom was widely disseminated. Some historians explain this fact by the fact that in the then Japan there were no prisons, and there were only two types of punishments: for minor violations - physical injury, for large - death. Also, the ritual was almost the only option to wash away the shame and prove the honesty of their intentions. And the concept of honor was highly regarded among the samurai.
Secret meaning
Harakiri and seppuku: there is a difference in the secret sense of action. Of historical interest is the fact that the seppuku rite is performed by opening the abdomen. According to scientists, such a gesture symbolizes the nakedness of the soul (and the stomach is traditionally perceived as a container of vital energy, which disappears at autopsy). Sometimes the samurai might not agree with the accusations and the announced verdict. Thus, tearing up the stomach, a person showed the purity of his thoughts, the openness of his soul, and, accordingly, his innocence.
Strength and courage
The ceremony itself required a remarkable strength and courage from the samurai, since the intestinal area is traditionally a pain zone. The blow had to be accurate and not too deep so as not to harm the spine. It was considered a special manifestation of courage to keep a smile on the face during the process. There are cases when a samurai wrote dying verses with his own blood. Later, the person performing the ritual was allowed to lean on a knife, and not make an X-shaped incision. Even later, so that a person does not lose control over himself during suicide, a special assistant cut off the head of a samurai with a sword.
Harakiri
The Japanese use this word in everyday colloquial speech (by the way, it has taken root in Russian too). It means simple suicide, ripping open the abdomen without a ritual. So still, what is the difference between seppuku and hara-kiri? It can be said in other words: common people made hara-kiri, and samurai made seppuku, although, in essence, these are very similar concepts.