Japan, 1170. Samurai Minamoto no Tametomo, surrounded by enemies and in the absence of solutions, committed suicide cutting his belly. It was the first time in the chronicles the harakiri or seppuku was mentioned. The last to die from this rite, at the moment, has been Isao Inokuma.

Harakiri and seppuku are synonyms: They mean “cutting in the stomach.” The two words are formed by the same signs or canjis, but ordered in inverse order and pronounced differently. The Japanese prefer seppuku, because it is higher, but a torpe harakiri has been imposed abroad.

Although it is not clear how to designate the elegant type of suicide, in practice it is detailed in ten rules:

1. Clothing. To go to the other world, you have to wear a ceremonial chimono. The color can be chosen by the suicidal, but the white is preferred.

2nd place. The most recommendable places are the temples, the house itself or, by default, the place where suicide has been confined. The suicide bomber will be placed on a low taboo, with a hole in front or a basket, to prevent when they cut his head from going to the pirate. It is better to use thin light to relieve the bloody spectacle, and incense is also a good idea to cover the stench of the viscera.

3. Farewell poem. As the ritual should be done in a rigorous silence, the suicidal does not have the possibility to pronounce the last words aloud, but leaving a written poem is an elegant gesture.

4. Witnesses. All decent seppuchs need witnesses and they also need to show up etiquette dresses.

5. Assistant. The suicide bomber chooses his helper or kaishaku. Once the protagonist has finished pulling the tents, the wizard cuts his head with a firm cut.

6. The tool. Catanas are too long for these jobs, so they use short swords, called kodachi or wakizashi, or dagger that is called so much.

7. Attitude. The suicide man sits at the Japanese, with the sword in front and the auxiliary behind him. Before the collapse begins, Athletic will revert to the attendees of the rally.

8. Cut. The first cut is made in the lower part of the stomach, from left to right. The second, from the bottom up. And from there, the only rule is that the more you cut, the better.

9. The grudge. When the suicide bomber is weakened, tilt his head forward so that the wizard has a better angle to cut his head with a single cut. If you do not have a companion, you will try to cut your neck with the few remaining forces.

10. Once the subject is torn apart and the head is cut off, the body will be removed and cleaned from the massacre. But before, a servant shows the witnesses his cut head, as if one could doubt that the suicide is dead.