Great Britain KEVII on Hari-kari Postcard

GREAT BRITAIN between 1902 till 1910 issued a 1/2p grey/green stamp of King  Edward VII. It was affixed to this postcard of 1904,  depicting the ritual of Hari-kiri, or suicide by Order of the Mikado. Four samurai  with swords, one holding a sword overhead while one disembowels himself and others look on. The postcard apparently was one of a series of professional, hand-painted slides purchased by the Brittinghams in Japan and in circulation from circa 1897 through 1922. The postcard was sent to Harrow Weald, a west suburban district of greater London, England.

 

Seppuku occurred in 1177 by Minamoto Tametomo. Minamoto fought in the Hōgen war. After facing defeat in the war, Minamoto was exiled to an Island called Ōshima. Minamoto decided to try to take over the island. Because of this, Minamoto’s enemies sent troops to suppress Minamoto’s rebellion. Minamoto, being on the losing end, committed Seppuku in 1177. The ritual of seppuku was more concretely established when, in the early years of the Gempei war, Minamoto Yorimasa committed Seppuku after composing a poem.

Seppuku was used by warriors to avoid falling into enemy hands and to attenuate shame and avoid possible torture. Samurai could also be ordered by their daimyō (feudal lords) to carry out seppuku. Later, disgraced warriors were sometimes allowed to carry out seppuku rather than be executed in the normal manner. The most common form of seppuku for men was composed of cutting open the abdomen, followed by extending the neck for an assistant to sever the spinal cord. It was the assistant's job to decapitate the samurai in one swing; otherwise, it would bring great shame to the assistant and his family. Those who did not belong to the samurai caste were never ordered or expected to carry out seppuku. Samurai could generally only carry out the act with permission.

 

 Source: Wikipedia