Legendary Minamoto No Tametomo – First Samurai To Commit Seppuku

A. Sutherland – AncientPages.com – The ancient history of Seppuku is obscure, and it’s difficult to trace the beginnings of the suicide ritual. However, it seems that the first recorded accounts of Seppuku occurred on a battlefield as a means of escape.

eft: Minamoto no Tametomo – Credit: koei.wikia.com – Right: Hogen no ran battle screen – Credit: Public domain

Captured by their enemy, ancient Japanese warriors preferred to commit suicide instead of being executed by beheading or crucifixion.

Source: AncientPages.com – Read the rest of the article here