Kaishakunin
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A kaishakunin is a man appointed to behead an individual who has performed seppuku, Japanese ritual suicide, at the moment of agony. The role played by the kaishakunin is called kaishaku.
A staged photo from the late Edo period of a seppuku ceremony. The kaishakunin is standing at the rear with his sword raised and prepared to partially sever the head, cutting through the spinal column, of the person performing seppuku.
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
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