You-know-who

Today's Lesson

“ Seppuku is a ritual form of committing suicide in the Japanese society. Behind this gruesome and barbaric act lies the concept in Japanese thinking that an honorable death is more desirable than a life in shame. Seppuku for Women Suicide was not unique for men. Women have their own ritual suicide, jigai. Here, the wife of Onodera Junai, one of the Forty-seven Ronin, prepares for her suicide; note the legs tied together, a female feature of seppuku to ensure a “decent” posture in death. (and since its a cut to the jugular vein, jigai can be performed without an audience.)