harakiri vs seppuku?

[Bleda]

What are the main differences between harakiri and seppuku? I know they are both suicide but i am unsure as to what the difference between them really is.

[[Kensei 剣の聖者]]

Hara kiri is disembowelment and cutting up your belly, usualy from one side of the belly to the other, then from up to down, and possibly a criss cross on top of that, designed to cause EXTREME pain, to show you werent just "backing out" like a coward. It was pretty much self mutilation, Seppuku came a little later, a little more dare i say it "humane", where you would make one horizontal cut from one side to another then be beheaded by an "accomplice"

[Canthros]

Basically, nothing. Both terms refer to the same practice. I think 'harakiri' was considered a more vulgar term, but they both mean the same thing (same kanji, even).

[moonblade]

Hara kiri is precisely the same thing. In english I think it means "Belly slashing". It's just a more vulgar way of saying the same thing.

[LNGUYEN]

A man either did Harakiri or Sepuku, he still end up crooked

[Bleda]

Thanks for the replies. Yesterday we practiced kaishaku kata and my sensei refered to it as harakiri instead of seppuku and for some stupid reason i never asked him about the difference between the 2.

[Hyaku]

What are the main differences between harakiri and seppuku? I know they are both suicide but i am unsure as to what the difference between them really is.

Read half way down this link.

http://www.hyoho.com/Hagakure1.html

[mystic_kendoka]

harakiri- stomach cutting
seppuku- less vulgar term for harakiri

[Shogun97]

harakiri- stomach cutting
seppuku- less vulgar term for harakiri

i don't think so.....i'm not sure but isn't harakiri jumping into his own sword, like you put it up somewhere on the ground and jump then onto it?

[moonblade]

No, jumping on the sword doesn't have a name. Hari Kari IS Seppuku

[mystic_kendoka]

but u dont go up to the shogun to say that some one is going to slice their belly open today, you say that someone is going to commit seppuku, its more formal...

[Eldritch Knight]

Here's a link that explains everything.

Seppuku

[Bleda]

Very good site eldrich, thanks.

[Will]

~~~~~
Seppuku

Seppuku is the ancient art of killing yourself if you get super pissed and can’t find anybody else to kill. Ninjas use all sorts of crap to kill themselves—guns, ropes, knives, lasers, spears, etc.—and don’t even think twice about it. These guys would kill themselves for just about any reason and often for no reason at all: that’s why we there are so few ninjas today.

But if you want to commit Seppuku and you’re like me, you don’t have access to stuff like lasers. But there’s hope. I tried to kill myself by swallowing a frisbee a couple of times—and believe me, it’s pretty cool. The only catch is you have to be really super pissed to do it.

Step 1 Get a frisbee from the store or friend.

Step 2 Clean the Frisbee.

Step 3 Make sure your parents aren’t around

Step 4 Put something slippery on it, like butter or cream.

Step 5 Get really super pissed.

Step 6 Fold the Frisbee hard (this is crucial)

Step 7 Keep folded and insert Frisbee into mouth hard.

Step 8 Push hard until you can’t see it.

Step 9 Wait.

Step 10 Die.

If you succeed, everybody will be like “Holy Crap! "

~~~~
Taken from realultimatepower.net

[ZealUK]

Does anyone know what kamae the kaishakunin took before delivering the blow to the neck? I read somewhere that this differed depending on the rank of the person commiting seppuku. I suppose each han would have different protocol.