Editing Seppuku

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{{Era|Culture and society}}{{WP-REAL}}
{{Spoilerhd|20 June 2025|[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]}}
'''''Seppuku''''' (切腹, lit. 'cutting [the] belly') also called '''''harakiri''''' (腹切り, lit. 'abdomen/belly cutting'), is a form of ritual {{Wiki|suicide}} that was practiced by [[samurai]] in [[Japan]]. It involved cutting the abdomen and was seen as a way to preserve honor, especially in the face of defeat, disgrace, or punishment. Seppuku followed a strict ceremonial process and reflected the samurai code of loyalty and courage.<ref name="WP">{{WP|Seppuku}}</ref>

In the [[Middle Ages]], warriors valued glory, courage, honor, and self-sacrifice, but these were closely tied to victory. Defeat often meant disgrace, so many preferred death over dishonor. For samurai, a glorious death—even through seppuku after a loss—was seen as a final chance to preserve their dignity and legacy.<ref name="DB">''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' – [[Database: Seppuku: an Honorable End]]</ref>

==Ritual==
The practice of ''seppuku'' was not standardized until the 17th century,<ref name="WP"/> although it had been in effect since the 14th century,<ref name="DB"/> and had even been started to be used a further two centuries prior.<ref name="WP"/> By the late {{Wiki|Edo period}}, the practice became formally codified as an honorable way to be sentenced to death in the [[Tokugawa shogunate|shogunate]] or [[wikt:seignorial|seignorial]] court.<ref name="DB"/> The samurai would take their short blade,<ref>''[[Echoes of History]]'' – ''Shadows'' – Japan's First Unifier: Oda Nobunaga</ref> either the ''[[Katana and Wakizashi|wakizashi]]'' or ''[[tantō]]'' and slice into their abdomen above the navel. The samurai would also be accompanied by a ''{{Wiki|kaishakunin}}'', a trusted attendant whom would fully decapitate the samurai.<ref name="DB"/> Also on occasion, a {{wiki|death poem}} would be written by the samurai.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' – [[Temple of the Horseman]]</ref>

==Notable cases==
{{Incomplete list}}
*[[Ōuchi Yoshitaka]] (1551)
*[[Hirate Masahide]] (1553)
*[[Azai Nagamasa]] (1573)
*[[Bessho Nagaharu]] (1580)
*[[Oda Nobunaga]] (1582)
*[[Mori Ranmaru]] (1582)
*[[Sen no Rikyū]] (1591)
*[[Toyotomi Hideyori]] (1615)

==Appearances==
*''[[Echoes of History]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' {{1st}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Culture and society]]
[[Category:Execution methods]]