Bushido: Code of the Samurai
By Allen Meeks

Samurai live by a code ethics called Bushido. Bushido in Japanese means the way of the warrior. It was loosely based on chivalry. They live by honor and courage. They live and die for their masters. They go into battle fearless. They care about their appearances and usually are artists or poets. They master the martial arts, are frugal, and always have honor in death. Honor and death is what this report is about. Seppuku is a ritual in which a samurai will perform suicide as a way for an honorable death. It usually was performed when a samurai didn’t want to be killed by an enemy or if he has disgraced himself. It was also used if he dishonored his master. A samurai will take a short blade, or tanto, and stab it into his belly and slice left to right disemboweling himself. Meanwhile, a second assistant usually a family member or friend would slice the neck leaving the head hanging by a little piece of skin. It was thought as a bad omen to completely separate the head from the body. The very first act of seppuku recorded was done in 1180 by a Minamoto Yorimasa during the Battle of Uji. But it was not just a ritual performed by samurai. It was also a form of capital punishment as well. This way was only for the common person. They did not have the benefit of having their head cut off. They had to go through the agonizing torture of entrails on the ground and they bleeding to death. Seppuku would be punishment for anything from adultery, rape, theft and mainly murder.

As capital punishment for a samurai, they would be told their offence, which ranged from the same as the common but also included treason and corruption. This punishment was called obligatory seppuku. They would be giving a certain amount of time to commit the act, usually by a certain day by sunset. If they were uncooperative they would held down and it would be done by an executioner with no benefit of they head being cut off. Seppuku on the battlefield was done cause they did not want to give their enemy the satisfaction of killing them. They found it was honorable do die by their own hand than an enemy. If they did not have the time to do it as a ritual such as an enemy is approaching or they can’t get their armor off they would find other ways. They would slit their throats or throw themselves on an enemy’s sword. If they did have the time, they would dress all in white to commit seppuku. The white stood for purity.

As a ritual, you usually was in a garden sitting on gravel. There was usually people appointed by your master and some girls to watch the act done and make a report of the act. You were given a wooden tray containing snack foods and full cup of sake. As you consumed your snack tray, you would write a poem about death. After that you were handed a blade without a handle because it would be discarded after the act was done. Then they would pierce the abdomen and slice left to right allowing their guts to spill onto the floor. As soon as that, the attendant would cut your neck just leaving a flap of skin to hold the head on so it would fly towards any the people attending.

As a modernized westerner, we look at this as being barbaric and disgusting. We play the bloodiest video games, watch the goriest movies, and listen to killing and rape in music. We see war and destruction on news programs every night. I am not trying to vilify what we do as a nation and as a world. I watch, play, and listen just like everyone else. My questions to the reader of this report is this. What is the difference between this ritual and suicide? Suicide is looked at as disgraceful and the person is going to hell. But at this time in history, it was one of the most honorable death a samurai could ever perform. On top of that, why is lethal injection and the electric chair an accepted punishment? Yet most look at this as cruel and unusual punishment. Is it because we are more civilized, or is it because we have no loyalty or honor anymore. That’s the reader’s opinion.