Wouldn't the spine get in the way when commiting hara-kiri/seppuku?

Question

The tanto is long enough to go through the human body, so I'm thinking it'll probably be stopped by the vertebrae if the practitioner buries the tanto all the way in his (or her) stomach...

Answer 1

The idea is not to cut ones self that deeply when committing ritual suicide. The idea is to only cut ones self deeply enough to disembowel ones self so that the intestines and other internal organs can be spread out and displayed on the mat in front of them.

I am sure that this would be very painful and I for one would not be willing to try it.

Nothing is worth killing ones self over. Nothing.

Answer 2

The tanto is used in a horozontal slash starting just above the navel on the dominant hand side and cutting toward the center. Seppuku in the movies isn't accurate.

Answer 3

In his novel Shogun, James Clavell states through the Japanese heroine that at the moment of agony, a faithful comrade was asked to behead the one committing suicide so he not be disgraced by manifesting pain. Wikipedia confirms this.

If so, your point (no pun intended) may be mute.

Answer 4

seems a liitle more study is to be done on your part...yes the blade is a bit long but that is because it is meant to be aimed up toward the heart and organs not to be thrust straight thru ...it is to be done in a stirring motiin so that every thing is diced up .... not a simple stabbing type motion
it would require some intense pain and most people cant go that far before passing out and being taken to the hospital...
not for the meek thats for sure

Answer 5

Yes, it could, but that is not the proscribed method of doing it.

You're supposed to do it at the right depth to have your intestines spill out, not to run through them.

And you are supposed to bleed to death.

Answer 6

Only one way to be sure...

Answer 7

you go girl