Tales of Old Japan - Maybe You Like It

On the Ceremonies Observed at the Hara-Kiri of a Person
Given In Charge to a Daimio
When a man has been ordered by the Government to disembowel himself,
the public censors, who have been appointed to act as witnesses,
write to the prince who has the criminal in charge, to inform them that
they will go to his palace on public business. This message is written directly
to the chief, and is sent by an assistant censor; and a suitable answer
is returned to it. Before the ceremony, the witnesses send an assistant
censor to see the place, and look at a plan of the house, and to take a
list of the names of the persons who are to be present; he also has an interview
with the kaishaku, or seconds, and examines them upon the way
of performing the ceremonies. When all the preparations have been
made, he goes to fetch the censors; and they all proceed together to the
place of execution, dressed in their hempen-cloth dress of ceremony. The
retainers of the palace are collected to do obeisance in the entrance-yard;
and the lord, to whom the criminal has been entrusted, goes as far as the
front porch to meet the censors, and conducts them to the front
reception-room. The chief censor then announces to the lord of the
palace that he has come to read out the sentence of such an one who has
been condemned to perform hara-kiri, and that the second censor has
come to witness the execution of the sentence. The lord of the palace then
inquires whether he is expected to attend the execution in person, and, if
any of the relations or family of the criminal should beg to receive his remains,
whether their request should be complied with; after this he announces
that he will order everything to be made ready, and leaves the
room. Tea, a fire-box for smoking, and sweetmeats are set before the censors;
but they decline to accept any hospitality until their business shall
have been concluded. The minor officials follow the same rule. If the censors
express a wish to see the place of execution, the retainers of the
palace show the way, and their lord accompanies them; in this, however,
he may be replaced by one of his karô or councillors. They then return,
and take their seats in the reception-room. After this, when all the preparations
have been made, the master of the house leads the censors to
the place where the sentence is to be read; and it is etiquette that they
should wear both sword and dirk. 121 The lord of the palace takes his
place on one side; the inferior censors sit on either side in a lower place.
The councillors and other officers of the palace also take their places.
121.A Japanese removes his sword on entering a house, retaining only his dirk.
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