The traditional Japanese form of honorable suicide, also known by its Chinese equivalent, seppuku. It was practiced by the Japanese feudal warrior class in order to avoid falling into enemy hands. Around 1500, it became a privileged alternative to execution, granted to daimyo and samurai guilty of disloyalty to the emperor. The condemned man received a jeweled dagger from the emperor. He selected as his second a faithful friend, received official witnesses, and plunged the dagger into the left side of his abdomen, drew it across to the right, and made a slight cut upward; his second then beheaded him with one stroke of a sword, and the dagger was returned to the emperor. Around 1700, it became permissible to go through a semblance of disembowelment prior to beheading. Voluntary hara-kiri was resorted to after a private misfortune, out of loyalty to a dead master, or to protest the conduct of a living superior. 1
Obligatory hara-kiri was abolished in 1868, but its voluntary form has persisted. It was performed by 40 military men in 1895 as a protest against the return of conquered territory, the Liaotung peninsula, to China; by General Nogi on the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912; and by numerous soldiers as an alternative to surrender in World War II.
Obligatory hara-kiri was abolished in 1868, but its voluntary form has persisted. It was performed by 40 military men in 1895 as a protest against the return of conquered territory, the Liaotung peninsula, to China; by General Nogi on the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912; and by numerous soldiers as an alternative to surrender in World War II.
by TaintedCell April 16, 2004
Get the hara-kiri mug.A suicidal move used in Mortl Kombat Deception when you lose to the computer/friends; japanese term because Midway would be in some deep trouble if they used the english version.
by Alex January 3, 2005
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The act of fraping yourself and blaming it on another out of sheer boredom. This allows you to watch as the blamed party is publicly humiliated while you get away with insulting whoever you like.
Beth - "Aww man I can't believe Shaun would frape Alex and call me a total cuntwaffle"
Sue - "I hear it was actually Alex. Classic harakiri frape".
Sue - "I hear it was actually Alex. Classic harakiri frape".
by Dong Oral March 12, 2011
Get the Harakiri Frape mug.Ritual suicide by self-disembowelment on a sword; practiced by warriors in the traditional Japanese society.
He performed a Harakiri on himself.
by care! July 27, 2005
Get the Harakiri mug.Friend 1: You're so gay.
Friend 2: I may be gay but u wanna fuck me, so shut up.
Friend 1: You just killed me with a homo-harakiri!
Friend 2: I may be gay but u wanna fuck me, so shut up.
Friend 1: You just killed me with a homo-harakiri!
by Bergham J. June 28, 2014
Get the Homo-Harakiri mug.The most (in)famous kind of Japanese suicide. As it says, I'm slitting my stomach, it refers to this gruesome kind of killing oneself.
He was not able to stand the pressure of the society, so he decided to solve the problems in an "honorable" way.
by Zdenek June 8, 2004
Get the harakiri mug.A nice long self inflicted shank in your belly. The Japanese managed to make even suicide an honour.
by RedShankyMan May 20, 2019
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