Decoding Honor and Dishonor: A Closer Look at Seppuku in “Harakiri”
Seppuku, often romanticized in the West as a noble and stoic act of Japanese tradition, frequently appears as a symbol of honor and the celebrated “Takumi spirit.” It’s often portrayed as the ultimate act of saving face and upholding one’s personal code.
However, Masaki Kobayashi’s seminal 1962 film, “Harakiri” (also known as “Seppuku”), strips away the romanticism to reveal a far more complex reality. This masterpiece of Japanese cinema offers harsh critique of what it means to be Samurai, inspiring the 2010 remake “Ichimei” (Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai).
Let’s dissect “Harakiri” and examine samurai life during the Edo Shogunate in Japan, and the truth behind the ritual of seppuku.
The Weight of Tradition: How Three Lives Intertwine
The story driving “Harakiri” appears simple. The film is set during the Edo period. The Tokugawa shogunate recently consolidated power and dispossessed many daimyo (feudal lords). This left their samurai retainers without masters, becoming ronin (wanderer samurai). Facing immense poverty, some of these ronin resorted to a desperate form of extortion. They would appear at a wealthy daimyo’s gate requesting to perform seppuku, knowing that the daimyo wanting to avoid any disturbance often offered money or even a retainer-ship if the ronin would leave.
In 1630, a young ronin appeared at the Ii clan’s residence, attempting just such a ploy. However, the Ii clan were prominent supporters of the Tokugawa shogunate, descendants of Ii Naomasa, one of the “Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings.” The clan commanded the Ii Red Devils, a fearsome fighting group used by the shogunate to intimidate rebellious lords. The powerful clan determined to make an example of the ronin, forcing him to follow through with his threat.
What the ruthless Ii clan did not know, however, was that this young ronin was desperate for money to treat his ailing family, with very little awareness of the role he was walking into. His father-in-law, also a ronin, sought justice for this cruel act, and he too found himself outmatched, as the Ii clan, protecting their own reputation, ambushed and killed him as well.
“Harakiri” uses overlapping narratives to tell its tale:
- The Desperation of Youth: Chijiiwa Motome, driven by poverty, sets aide samurai honor to beg for money, only to be compelled to a horrific death.
- The Enduring Honor: The veteran ronin, Tsugumo Hanshiro, unwillingly causes his family’s destruction through adhering to samurai principles. When he learns about his son-in-law’s fate, he seeks revenge, only to be killed.
- Ruthless Ambition: The Ii clan, obsessed with its image and safeguarding its interests, breaks the code of the samurai, leading to the deaths of both ronin.
The irony lies in how few involved are capable of maintaining any dignity. The Ii clan callously strips the rite of its gravity.
Chijiiwa Motome, having been forced to sell his swords, is forced to commit seppuku with a bamboo blade and perform a “cross-cut,” a virtually impossible technique. The kaishakunin (the assistant who is to behead the samurai to end the suffering) fails to appear, leaving him suffering in a horrific and agonizing death, desperately biting his tongue trying to end his own suffering.
Tsugumo Hanshiro, surrounded in a frenzied, gory battle, attempts seppuku before being gunned down.
The three clan members who contributed to Chijiiwa Motome’s death are ordered to commit seppuku in their homes. But the Ii announce their deaths as being from illness.
Tsugumo Hanshiro’s friend, the elder Chijiiwa, is the only main personality who completes seppuku honorably. However, his end also relates to an ignoble power play. Seppuku, it seems, is simply how the powerful divide the spoils.
When Times Are Tough, Is Suicide The Answer?
Eleven years before the events of “Harakiri”, in 1619, Fukushima Masanori, one of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake and daimyo of Hiroshima Domain, was treated warily by the Tokugawa shogunate due to the perception he maintained ambiguous loyalties towards the Toyotomi clan. When a typhoon damaged Hiroshima castle, the Shogunate used this occurrence as an excuse to make a judgement of Fukushima, alleging he repaired the castle without asking for governmental permission and failed to precisely detail storm damage reports. The Shogunate confiscated Masanori’s domain as a punishment.
The Shogunate reduced Fukushima’s landholdings from 500,000 koku to 45,000 koku. After Fukushima Masanori’s passing, the Shogunate confiscated Masanori’s estate while alleging his vassal, Tsuda Shirobei, had cremated the Masanori’s body prior to the arrival of the Tokugawa coroner. At the end, Fukushima Masanori’s youngest son, Fukushima Masatoshi, retained a post in the Tokugawa government with a 3,000 koku land holding.
Tsugumo Hanshiro and the elder Chijiiwa were vassals of the Fukushima clan whose fate turned out even worse than Fukushima.
And now, their options become either committing seppuku like the elder Chijiiwa, or becoming “ronin”.
During the Edo period, ronin were in terrible life situations. The Tokugawa shogunate had put restrictions on samurai through “Laws for the Military Houses”. However, recent turmoil resulted in a high labor demand in areas outside of cities.
Ronin were able to attach themselves to influential daimyo, participate in development work on new farmland, or even abandon the samurai designation entirely to enter monasteries or become commoners. Ronin even could became members of merchant security details assigned in Kyoto. Ronin groupings could form illicit kabukimono street gangs.
Ronin having aspirations to become retainers could search for positions working for high ranking daimyo. Even if the system of “sankin-kotai”, or alternate attendance, was not yet in system, daimyo still traveled to Edo, and often stopping by Kyoto. This made Kyoto the prime place for ronin located in western Japan needing to secure a position working for a daimyo family.
The fact of the matter is samurai such as Hanshiro should have not fallen into destitution.
However, being in Edo created poor outcomes for the the old samurai and his family.
During the early days of Tokugawa rule, because Edo’s economic development was just starting and because sankin-kotai was something of the near future, nobody should live in Edo at the time. Samurai groups of Edo have unique teachings of swordsmanship. Hanshiro, even with swordsmanship experience, couldn’t start up his own dojo.
In these circumstances, many Edo ronin felt immense frustration with various elements of life.
The Ii could force the ronin wanting to request seppuku into actually doing so.
“Face” Is the Real Fortune
“Harakiri” examines people going doing extreme measures to achieve dominance through manipulation tactics. Seppuku isn’t an graceful concept.
Seppuku’s inception became acts of heroism and brutality.
By the time people entered Edo governance, “seppuku” transformed right into a spectacle. Samurai participants only ended up cutting the stomach area, but organizers end up having to address and consider conditions involved with the ceremony. In order to maintain social customs and appearances, the warrior samurai caste must give utmost consideration to the ritual.
In the film, after a “ronin” approached the Ii and made formal requests about carrying out “seppuku”, the prominent family must provide presentable attire and must engage as if this “seppuku” announcement would be something to be respected. Key associates of a family would meet personally equipped to try dissuading an individual’s "seppuku thoughts. The hosts must be ready to furnish the place and gather samurai members coming out to witness “seppuku.”
Reasons to commit “seppuku” encompass many points that fit into the criteria of types: a person that shows deference/loyalty as they follow someone to death by following the lead from a lord, some sort of atonement, battlefield losses during wartime, or not being sufficiently able to get by with income, so the individual desires respect via dignified Samurai death.
Junshi, like the elder Chijiiwa’s motivation out to loyalty, wasn’t unheard of during Warring states occasions for Japan culture for example, following Kusunoki Masashige dying, the samurai made out with a group that featured counts of thirty two individuals that made a self-removal that went with him via seppuku.
Atonement has familiarity with various people, like the officials engaging in acts encompassing some components featuring acknowledging mistakes, formally giving announcements resulting in giving some blame and attempting “seppuku”. Some ways an action encompasses “seppuku” to atone one’s actions would also be “seppuku.” French troops faced trouble Sakai back during sixty eight with twenty samurai troops that resulted into conflict to French. And finally, all Samurai ended up accepting responsibility to be able to atone wrongdoing! Then there ended being an army officer via a ship within France during moments near the scene ending near his complete mental breakdown after noticing "seppuku deaths reach eleven count, coming out and stating wanting no remaining “seppuku activity that takes occur during moment”. A war in state occurred.
People remember that Toyotomi Hideyoshi coerced Muneharu, a commanding leader acting on Takamatsu Fortress out on the Mori side. Participants had the choice of making arrangements of spots featuring key ceremonial customs. After everything became prepared there stands ceremonial custom for a party, the key leader of one team in the battle ends up losing several tears over an “hero” in charge of all aspects of the “seppuku effort,” The host made sure aspects turned the act of valuing “seppuku.” Even should people dislike “seppuku” or felt hatred to something related. They had to ensure making it something others will view via sufficient levels in high consideration.
In the story, Samurai Hanshiro, was forced and pushed into being close to dead could be referred to being Samurai, in how it responds when confronted via something that involves something lost with the battle.
Aspects featuring first three actions involving “seppuku” require some level of esteem, but the final approach requiring self esteem to get dignified, needs certain examination.
Likely in The Film is someone at the point of not staying there, ending his final point via requesting the Ii and seeking self harm through certain actions encompassing to criteria!
Compared to events that occurred The ones getting some financial request via self harm in Movie, that point is abstract.
The film illustrates from many point. the viewers understand “Spirit Of Warrior Style” and, what makes a samurai.
Being esteemed requires bearing burdens of the soul. Pillars that exist, and there are mental chains of the mind. This requires dignity, requiring causes that permit dignified approaches for those witnessing the death through this scene.
In the end they are a tool by dictators to control and enslave. Dictators in Edo used to confine warrior class through an persona identity the ones that could had potential becoming. and samurai sword makes the person one whom commits seppuku with honor.