Bushido
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Bushidō is a samurai moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior, and lifestyle. Its origins date back to the Kamakura period, but the code was formalized in the Edo period. There are multiple t
A samurai in his armor in the 1860s. Hand-colored photograph by Felice Beato
Bushidō – The Way of the Warrior. Written in Japanese kanji.
Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199)
Daimyo Katō Kiyomasa
Seppuku
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Seppuku, also called harakiri, is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese peop
Bushido
…furthering the daimyo's cause. Samurai had dark customs, the most notable: Kiri-sute gomen was the right to strike the lower class who dishonored them. Seppuku was ritual suicide, to die honorably or restore one's honor. Tsujigiri (crossroads killing) to attack a human opponent to test a weapon or skill became…
Staged seppuku with ritual attire and kaishakunin assistant, 1897
Samurai about to perform seppuku
A tantō prepared for seppuku
The wife of Onodera Junai, one of the forty-seven rōnin, prepares for her suicide; note the legs tied together, a feature of female seppuku to ensure a decent posture in death