Bushido

Samurai lived according to a strict ethical code built around bravery, integrity, and loyalty, among other virtues. While this code existed in unwritten and unspoken form for most of the history of the samurai, it was not until the peacetime of the Edo Period that it was written down and referred to as bushido, "the way of the warrior".

To the modern Western mind, perhaps the most remarkable aspect of bushido was the complete lack of fear of death. In fact, the samurai much preferred death to dishonor. If a samurai felt that his honor had been compromised in any way, he would commit suicide rather than to continue living a dishonored life. Seppuku was a ritual form of suicide preferred by the samurai for its honorable nature. In committing seppuku, the warrior would kneel on the sleeves of his robe (so as not to fall backwards when he died, for that would be less honorable) with a short dagger in front of him. When he felt that he was prepared, he would take the knife, plunge it into his abdomen, and cut across then up.

The cutting of the abdomen carried two points of significance. First, the Japanese believed that the soul was contained in the midsection, and thus cuttign the abdomen open would release the soul. Also, this process was meant to be extremely painful so that only the most courageous men could perform the ritual, thus preserving its honor. As seppuku developed over the centuries, a modification was developed where a trusted friend would stand by while the abdomen was cut; once the stomach had been opened the friend would cut through the performer's neck with a sword, abruptly ending the pain. However, the cut could not go entirely through the neck, as even common criminals were executed by clean beheading.

Besides bravery, loyalty was another virtue of paramount importance for the samurai. As retainers to their superiors, the samurai were fiercely loyal. There are many cases where all of a lord's retainers would commit seppuku after their master had died. Another important virtue for samurai was honesty. There is one recorded case where a samurai was called to court to testify about certain happenings. When asked to swear to the gods on the matter, he responded, "A samurai's word is harder than metal. Since I have impressed this fact upon myself, what more can the gods and Buddhas do?" The swearing was cancelled.