Harakiri

Seppuku, also known as harakiri, is a traditional Japanese method of ritual suicide that involves a samurai slicing open their abdomen. This practice was intended to preserve honor, often with a kaishakunin present to administer a lethal blow to lessen suffering.

In 1603, Lord Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, issued an edict banning harakiri among retainers. His successor, Lord Nobutsuna Matsudaira of Izu, further solidified this prohibition in 1663, marking a significant turn in historical practices.

On May 13, 1630, in Edo, a destitute ronin named Hanshiro Tsugumo arrives at Lord Iyi's residence seeking sanctuary. He aims to fulfill his wish of dying with honor through the act of seppuku, a desire stemming from the dissolution of the Geishu Clan.

Increasing desperation leads to numerous ronin requesting the opportunity to commit harakiri at the gates of various clans. Initially, these pleas are met with compassion, but the situation is further complicated by those feigning the ritual to gain support.

Kageyu Saito, the elder of the Iyi Clan, meets with Tsugumo and warns him about the gravity of his request. He shares the tragic story of another ronin, Motome Chijiiwa, who claimed he wanted to commit harakiri but was ultimately forced to follow through.

Motome Chijiiwa's attempt to gain financial support through the pretense of harakiri ends in tragedy. He is coerced into performing the ritual with bamboo weapons after selling his traditional swords due to overwhelming misery.

Despite Saito's troubling tale, Tsugumo firmly declares his intent to proceed with the harakiri ritual. Saito, seeing the resolve in Tsugumo's eyes, agrees to allow the ceremony to go forward, setting the stage for a significant confrontation.

Tsugumo requests the presence of Hikokuro Omodaka, the clan's top swordsman, to fulfill the role of kaishakunin. However, when Omodaka is unavailable, Tsugumo seamlessly buys time by recounting a tragic narrative from his past, enveloping the gathering in his tale.

As Tsugumo narrates his sorrowful journey and the fate of his family, he reveals how their fortunes turned disastrous. His storytelling blends flashbacks of hardship and desperation, adding emotional weight to the impending ritual.

In a pivotal moment, Tsugumo unveils the topknots of three absent swordsmen, exposing their cowardice and shattering their honor. He declares that losing a topknot is akin to losing life itself, intensifying the dishonor among the samurai present.

During the ceremony, Tsugumo confronts the clan's warriors, leading to a climactic duel with Omodaka. The emotional and skilled fight culminates in an intense stand-off illustrative of the samurai spirit battling against the dishonor heaped upon them.

In a symbolic act of rebellion, gravely wounded and defiant, Tsugumo smashes the clan's cherished idol. This act serves as a rejection of the values that have betrayed him and his comrades, echoing the film's critique of traditional honor codes.

As Tsugumo faces his end, he is not vanquished by a noble swordsman but rather by a group of musket-wielding warriors. This final act of violence underscores the erosion of bushido principles in a world that has strayed from its noble heritage.

The aftermath reveals the grim consequences of the clash, with four reported dead and many others injured. The clan decides to conceal the harrowing truth behind the violence, opting to save face by attributing the casualties to illness.

Tsugumo's passing marks not only the end of his personal journey but symbolizes the end of an era for the samurai class. The decisions made by the clan reveal a society more concerned with appearances than honor, reflecting the decay within the samurai code.