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284 HONDA THE SAMURAI.
added a tenfold horror to the moment.
The attendant
eta, placing the victim in position, took hold of
one of his feet, in readiness to jerk the body, so as
to make it fall forward immediately after the fatal
blow was struck. The swordsman, who was a samurai
legally protected from disgrace, unsheathing his
sword, touched the victim with the flat of the blade
to intimate that all was ready, and that he must
crane his neck and stretch out his head. Hot water
was then poured on the sword by an eta to add
keenness to its edge. This done, the death's-man
lifted the weapon, but only a few inches above the
neck. The blow fell on the back of the neck, the
executioner striking from above downward, occasionally
expending the force of a blow on the hard
wooden curb. This was, as we have said, six inches
thick. But in the place where the blade fell the
hard wood had been chopped away for the space of
six or eight inches wide, and sloping down to four
or five deep. Mr. Rai was reminded of the " Beardcutter."
The swords used were those ordinarily worn by
samurai, and not of unusual weight, but as sharp as
razors. Two in constant use were shown Mr. Rai.
One of them, fresh from the work of the day before,
was slightly nicked in many places, and the edge had
been roughened and burred by cleaving through the
hard neck-bones.
The bodies of all criminals were delivered to
the friends of the deceased if they
claimed them.
If the criminal were friendless or unknown, his re-