Portland Public Library

Seppuku, a history of samurai suicide, Andrew Rankin

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-245) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Seppuku

bibliography

670211479

Andrew Rankin

a history of samurai suicide

The tradition of seppuku--Japanese ritual suicide by cutting the stomach, sometimes referred to as hara-kiri--spans a millennium. Samurai revered seppuku as the most honorable form of death. Here, for the first time in English, is a book that charts the history of samurai suicide from antiquity to modern times. Author Andrew Rankin traces the origins of seppuku in ancient myth, and guides us from the death of legendary warrior Minamoto no Tametomo in 1170 to the celebrated ritual suicide of General Nogi Maresuke in 1912. In between are countless examples of heroic courage, loyalty, and sacrifice. Quoting from many previously untranslated sources, including battle chronicles, execution handbooks, private samurai documents, and rare eyewitness reports, Rankin also explains the protocols of the seppuku ceremony. This fascinating and accessible study will appeal both to the scholar and to the general reader.--From publisher description

Introduction : Aesthetics of seppuku -- pt. 1. History of seppuku to 1600 -- Ancient texts -- Minamoto no Tametomo -- Medieval war tales -- Seppuku as execution -- Kaishaku -- Nishina Morinobu -- Shimizu Muneharu -- Shibata Katsuie -- Sen no Rikyū -- Toyotomi Hidetsugu -- pt. 2. The seppuku ritual -- Seppuku ritual protocols -- Types of seppuku -- pt. 3. History of seppuku after 1600 -- Junshi martyrdom -- The principle of dual blame -- The Akō incident -- The 1700s : urban dandies and paper fans -- The Kiso anti-flood project -- The 1800s : "Revere the Emperor, expel the barbarians!" -- The Aizu White Tigers -- Revolt of the League of the Divine Wind -- Nogi Maresuke -- pt. 4. Paradigms