Suicide in Japan
...rates drank the hemlock which killed him as a form of punishment. Suicide has even been traced back to the first Olympic games in 165 AD when the philosopher Peregrinus promised to deliver himself to the flames of the first Olympic torch, and kill himself.(Pinguet 100). As time progressed many forms of suicide were revealed. The Japanese culture has many different legends that involve suicide as a way of saving others. There is one legend of a monster-slayer who was crossing the narrow straits that connect Tokyo bay with the ocean, and offended the god who presides over this strait. Because he offended the god, the god was angered and sent a mighty storm to sink the monster-slayers boat and all aboard. In order to save the crew of the ship the monster-slayer gave his own life by jumping into the water killing himself to save the ship.(Pinguet 55). There are many such legends. Suicide became a ceremony of the Japanese. Such as the suicides of the samurai warriors. Suicide was used to admit defeat yet, not give the pleasure of the kill to the victor. Japanese warriors would commit suicide after losing battles so as not to allow the other warrior the pleasure of the kill, or to prevent being killing unarmed(Pinguet 80). “Suicide was the supreme escape for those who could not flee, and no one could rob them of their last moment of glory. But this solution was the most advantageous for the victors as well, sparing them the hateful task of killing an unarmed enemy”(Pinguet 80). Suicide was acceptable in Japan for hundreds of years. The next major period for suicide was during the second world war. Everyone knows about the kamikaze pilots of Japan. These fearless pilots would crash land their planes on important targets, such as ships, enemy landing strips, enemy forces. Their planes were loaded with explosives, and fuel, to create such mass destruction of the ships and other targets. The Japanese name for these units translated to the Divine Wind In Chinese pronunciation(Pinguet 194). Unfortunately for Japan only one in eight kamikaze pilots reached their objectives. This is because the United States superior aircraft, and training. However, there were more than just kamikaze pilots. Suicide played an important role in the second world war for Japan. The suicide pilots, suicide swimmers, and suicide boats all worked for the common goal of protecting main land Japan. The Navy boat, with its bow loaded with 660 pound of high explosives, had a firing pin which was detonated on contact with the ship. Sometimes it was equipped with two rockets, placed on both sides of the cockpit, and weighing about 50 pound each. The crew had basically no chance of escape”(Warner, Warner, and Seno 162) The purpose of these explosive ships, was to take out troop landing ships before they had a chance to drop their cargo onto the beaches. The suicide boats would attack these troop transports at night before the invasion. The suicide attacks helped hold off the invading forces by creating confusion. Ships would sometimes see these suicide boats. and shoot at them, only to draw fire from their own ships. Later these suicide boats became more evolved and used two depth charges with four second timers on them allowing the boaters some time to escape. Also there were suicide frog men known as Fukuryus, which means crawling dragons, these frogmen were basically human mines (Warner, Warner, and Seno 162). These boaters and Fukuryus would then use grenades to attack the crew that were alerted by their explosions or noises. There are many types of suicide, and each has their own name. There is Hara-Kiri, Seppuku, Shinju, and Inseki-Jisatsu. Each form of suicide has different sub-categories, for each different use of the suicide. One form of suicide known as ritual suicide is Hara-Kiri, or Seppuku. This is the famous ritual suicide preformed by the samurai. The ritual of suicide involves a person impaling the sword or dagger into the abdomen and cutting from one side to the other, followed by cutting up towards the heart. After the incisions are preformed, most people have someone decapitate them to alleviate some suffering, because the incisions don’t kill quickly(Pinguet 87). This is the ritual of Hara-Kiri, or Seppuku. Stabbing himself deeply below the waist on the left hand side, he drew the dirk [A nine and one half inch Razor sharp short sword] slowly across to the right side, and, turning it in the wound, gave a slight cut upwards. . . . At that moment, the kaishaku, who, still crouching at his side, had been keenly watching his every movement, sprang to his feet, poised his sword for a second in the air; there was a flash, a heavy, ugly thud. A crashing fall; with one blow the head had been severed from the body.” (Seward 18). The quote above is a witness account of the ritual suicide of the Binzen samurai who was ordered to commit Hara-Kiri, after the Binzen soldiers, under his command, fired on the foreign settlement of Kobe. There are many different reasons Hara-Kiri is committed and each has its own name. Kanshi, a Hara-Kiri to demonstrate remonstration, Chugi-bara, Hara-Kiri to show loyalty to one’s master, and Munen-bara, Hara-Kiri from mortification. Each has its own purpose as a way of showing loyalty. This form of sui...