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supported by dark pillars of wood. From the ceiling hung a profusion of those huge gilt lamps and ornaments
peculiar to Buddhist temples. In front of the high altar, where the floor, covered with beautiful white mats, is
raised some three or four inches from the ground, was laid a rug of scarlet felt. Tall candles placed at regular
intervals gave out a dim mysterious light, just sufficient to let all the proceedings be seen. The seven Japanese
took their places on the left of the raised floor, the seven foreigners on the right. No other person was present.
 After the interval of a few minutes of anxious suspense, Taki Zenzaburo, a stalwart man thirty-two years of
age, with a noble air, walked into the hall attired in his dress of ceremony, with the peculiar hempen-cloth
wings which are worn on great occasions. He was accompanied by a kaishaku and three officers, who wore
the jimbaori or war surcoat with gold tissue facings. The word kaishaku it should be observed, is one to which
our word executioner is no equivalent term. The office is that of a gentleman: in many cases it is performed by
a kinsman or friend of the condemned, and the relation between them is rather that of principal and second
than that of victim and executioner. In this instance the kaishaku was a pupil of Taki Zenzaburo, and was
selected by friends of the latter from among their own number for his skill in swordsmanship.
 With the kaishaku on his left hand, Taki Zenzaburo advanced slowly towards the Japanese witnesses, and the
two bowed before them, then drawing near to the foreigners they saluted us in the same way, perhaps even
with more deference; in each case the salutation was ceremoniously returned. Slowly and with great dignity
THE INSTITUTIONS OF SUICIDE AND REDRESS, 29
Bushido, the Soul of Japan
the condemned man mounted on to the raised floor, prostrated himself before the high altar twice, and
seated[19] himself on the felt carpet with his back to the high altar, the kaishaku crouching on his left hand
side. One of the three attendant officers then came forward, bearing a stand of the kind used in the temple for
offerings, on which, wrapped in paper, lay the wakizashi, the short sword or dirk of the Japanese, nine inches
and a half in length, with a point and an edge as sharp as a razor's. This he handed, prostrating himself, to the
condemned man, who received it reverently, raising it to his head with both hands, and placed it in front of
himself.
[Footnote 19: Seated himself that is, in the Japanese fashion, his knees and toes touching the ground and his
body resting on his heels. In this position, which is one of respect, he remained until his death.]
 After another profound obeisance, Taki Zenzaburo, in a voice which betrayed just so much emotion and
hesitation as might be expected from a man who is making a painful confession, but with no sign of either in
his face or manner, spoke as follows:
'I, and I alone, unwarrantably gave the order to fire on the foreigners at Kobe, and again as they tried to
escape. For this crime I disembowel myself, and I beg you who are present to do me the honor of witnessing
the act.'
 Bowing once more, the speaker allowed his upper garments to slip down to his girdle, and remained naked to
the waist. Carefully, according to custom, he tucked his sleeves under his knees to prevent himself from
falling backward; for a noble Japanese gentleman should die falling forwards. Deliberately, with a steady
hand he took the dirk that lay before him; he looked at it wistfully, almost affectionately; for a moment he
seemed to collect his thoughts for the last time, and then stabbing himself deeply below the waist in the
left-hand side, he drew the dirk slowly across to his right side, and turning it in the wound, gave a slight cut
upwards. During this sickeningly painful operation he never moved a muscle of his face. When he drew out
the dirk, he leaned forward and stretched out his neck; an expression of pain for the first time crossed his face,
but he uttered no sound. At that moment the kaishaku, who, still crouching by his side, had been keenly
watching his every movement, sprang to his feet, poised his sword for a second in the air; there was a flash, a
heavy, ugly thud, a crashing fall; with one blow the head had been severed from the body.
 A dead silence followed, broken only by the hideous noise of the blood throbbing out of the inert head before
us, which but a moment before had been a brave and chivalrous man. It was horrible.
 The kaishaku made a low bow, wiped his sword with a piece of paper which he had ready for the purpose,
and retired from the raised floor; and the stained dirk was solemnly borne away, a bloody proof of the
execution.
 The two representatives of the Mikado then left their places, and crossing over to where the foreign witnesses
sat, called to us to witness that the sentence of death upon Taki Zenzaburo had been faithfully carried out. The
ceremony being at an end, we left the temple.
I might multiply any number of descriptions of seppuku from literature or from the relation of eye-witnesses;
but one more instance will suffice.
Two brothers, Sakon and Naiki, respectively twenty-four and seventeen years of age, made an effort to kill
Iy�yasu in order to avenge their father's wrongs; but before they could enter the camp they were made [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]