Seppuku Vs Harakiri High Quality File

As the concept exported to the West, harakiri became the catch-all term, often stripped of its "commoner" status. In fact, in the West, harakiri eventually evolved into a metaphor for "self-sabotage" (e.g., "political harakiri"), a usage that rarely exists in modern Japan.

If you saw a man cut his stomach open, you would describe it simply: "He cut his belly." seppuku vs harakiri

For centuries, the Japanese strictly observed this rule: Seppuku for the nobility and official records; harakiri for the commoners and casual conversation. As the concept exported to the West, harakiri

Using a short blade called a tantō or a wakizashi , the samurai would cut his own abdomen from left to right. harakiri became the catch-all term