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Seppuku: a History of Samurai Suicide Free FREE SEPPUKU: A HISTORY OF SAMURAI SUICIDE PDF Andrew Rankin | 256 pages | 01 May 2011 | Kodansha America, Inc | 9784770031426 | English | Tokyo, Japan Seppuku - Wikipedia Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Seppuku by Andrew Rankin. The history of seppuku -- Japanese ritual suicide by cutting the stomach, sometimes referred to as hara-kiri -- spans a millennium, and came to be favored by samurai as an honorable form of death. Here, for the first time in English, is a book that charts the history of seppuku from ancient times to the twentieth century through a collection of swashbuckling tales from his The history of seppuku -- Japanese ritual suicide by cutting the stomach, sometimes referred to as hara-kiri -- spans a millennium, and came to be favored by samurai as an honorable form of death. Here, for the first time in English, is a book that charts the Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide of seppuku from ancient times to the twentieth century through a collection of swashbuckling tales from history and literature. Author Andrew Rankin takes us from the first recorded incident of seppuku, by the goddess Aomi in the eighth century, through the "golden age" of seppuku in the sixteenth century that includes Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide suicides of Shibata Katsuie, Sen no Riky? Drawing on Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide medieval war tales, samurai clan documents, and execution handbooks, Rankin also provides a fascinating look at the seppuku ritual itself, explaining the correct protocol and etiquette for seppuku, different stomach-cutting procedures, types of swords, attire, location, even what kinds of refreshment should be served at the seppuku ceremony. The book ends with a collection of quotations from authors and Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide down through the centuries, summing up both the Japanese attitude toward seppuku and foreigners' reactions: "As for when to die, make sure you are one step ahead of everyone else. Never pull back from the brink. But be aware that there are times when you should die, and times when you should not. Die at the right moment, and you will be a hero. Die at the wrong moment, and you will die like a dog. Get A Copy. Hardcoverpages. Published May 1st by Kodansha International first published March 18th More Details Other Editions 2. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Seppukuplease sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Nov 29, Stephen Douglas Rowland rated it really liked it. This little book is surprisingly enjoyable, considering the subject matter. Rankin is a rather witty writer, and a knowledgeable one, too. Jul 04, William Akana rated it it was amazing. Such a vital part of remembering my past. The sheer will to disembowel oneself for the conviction of an idea. To die slowly and painfully for a concept that puts the self secondary before family, dignity, and service. The volition is unreal, and, in my opinion, by sheer magnitude within the culture, unmatched in history. Imagine if this kind of conviction were harnessed today for the service of making the world a better place? It is certainly the kind of mentality the essence, anyway I would l Such a vital part of remembering my past. It is certainly the kind of mentality the essence, anyway I would like to cultivate when it comes to being committed to making myself and the world better. Everything you need This book is a great reference on Seppuku and many historical examples for the ritual. Very well researched book that is a window into a part of the samurai culture. Dec 07, Blake Wardell rated it it was ok. A fascinating topic ruined by sub-par writing and lack of historical accuracy. Quick and easy enough to read and it does give a nice broad into the history of Seppuku so it wasn't a complete waste of time. Such a great book. Insightful although limited in depth analysis. This book offers a plethora of useful info. No clear explanation as to how or when it made it's fi Such a great book. No clear explanation as to how or when it made it's first appearance in Japan. May 13, Stephen Wong rated it really liked it. Jan 10, D. Redhawk rated it it was ok Recommended to D. Very well researched and documented book on Japanese history. Rankin searches far back into the distant history and shows where the cultural act of seppeku probably began, tracing it through time. The book is very scholarly and a bit dry in places, heavy with meticulous details. May 02, Anthony rated it liked it. This is a very good study of the subject. The author goes through the history of the subject referring at all times to source documents rather than common ideas. In particular, this book makes it clear that suppuku has existed for very different reasons at different times. The only noticeable omission Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide that it does not cover of the end of World War II. Feb 02, Jessie B. Fascinating if a little morbid. Feb 26, Steph rated it really liked it. Sometimes funny, sometimes gross, but Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide worth the time! John Deltuvia rated it really liked it Mar 17, Ryan Flores rated it liked it Dec 09, Fabio rated it it was amazing Aug 14, Middlethought rated Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide it was amazing Aug 05, JohnRobert rated it liked it Sep 08, Ben Couch rated it it was amazing Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide 01, Fennydwi rated it it was amazing Jul 23, Mary Reade rated it really liked it Oct 27, Kathy Lavega rated it did not like it Dec 05, Kash rated it really liked it Jul 15, William White rated it liked it Jul 16, El rated it really liked it Nov 17, Toria rated it really liked it Dec 31, Imaginarium rated it really liked it Apr Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide, Natasha Burke rated it really liked it Apr 17, R F rated it it was ok Oct 24, Scott Ciambor rated it really liked it Oct 22, Vittorio Roberti rated it really liked it Nov 09, There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Readers also enjoyed. About Andrew Rankin. Andrew Rankin. Books by Andrew Rankin. Related Articles. If you haven't heard of record- smashing singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, is there any hope for you? Харакири — Википедия It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor but was also practiced by other Japanese people later on [ clarification needed ] to restore honor for themselves or for their families. As a samurai practice, seppuku was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies and likely be torturedas a form of capital punishment for samurai who had committed serious offenses, or performed because they had brought shame to themselves. In Japanese, the more formal seppukua Chinese on'yomi reading, is typically used in writing, while harakiria native Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide reading, is used in speech. Ross notes. It is commonly pointed out that hara-kiri is a vulgarismbut this is a misunderstanding. Hara-kiri is a Japanese reading or Kun-yomi of the characters; as it became customary to prefer Chinese readings in official announcements, only the term seppuku was ever used in writing. So hara-kiri is a spoken term, but only to commoners and seppuku a written term, but spoken amongst higher classes for the same act. In some popular western texts, such as martial arts magazines, the term is associated Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide suicide of samurai wives. Mostow notes that Hearn misunderstood the term jigai to be the female equivalent of seppuku. The first recorded act of seppuku was performed by Minamoto no Yorimasa during the Battle of Uji in Later, disgraced warriors were sometimes allowed to carry out seppuku rather than be executed in the normal manner. The most common form of seppuku for men was composed of the cutting of the abdomen, and when the samurai was finished, he stretched out his neck for an assistant to sever his spinal cord. It was the assistant's job to decapitate the samurai in one swing, otherwise it would bring great shame to the assistant and his Seppuku: A History of Samurai Suicide. Those who did not belong to the samurai caste were never ordered or expected to carry out seppuku. Samurai generally could carry out the act only with permission. This weakened the defeated clan so that resistance effectively ceased. The practice was not standardised until the 17th century. In the 12th and 13th centuries, such as with the seppuku of Minamoto no Yorimasa, the practice of a kaishakunin idiomatically, his "second" had not yet emerged, thus the rite was considered far more painful. In the absence of a kaishakuninthe samurai would then remove the blade and stab himself in the throat, or fall from a standing position with the blade positioned against his heart. During the Edo period —carrying out seppuku came to involve a detailed ritual.
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