1845.] OF THE CRUCIAL INCISION. 19 



scene then addresses a speech or compliment to the com- 

 pany ; after which he inclines his head towards the mat, 

 draws his sabre and cuts himself with it across the belly, 

 penetrating to the bowels. One of his confidential ser- 

 vants, who takes his place behind him, then strikes off 

 his head. Such as wish to display superior courage, 

 after the cross cut inflict a second, longitudinally, and 

 then a third, in the throat. No disgrace is attached to 

 such a death ; and the son succeeds to his father's place, 

 as we see by several examples in the ' Memoirs of the 

 Djogouns.' 



" When a person is conscious of having committed 

 some crime, and apprehensive of being thereby disgraced, 

 he puts an end to his own life to spare his family the 

 ruinous consequences of judicial proceedings. This 

 practice is so common, that scarcely any notice is taken 

 of such an event. The sons of all the people of quality 

 exercise themselves in their youth, for five or six years, 

 with a view that they may perform the operation, in case 

 of need, with gracefulness and dexterity ; and they take 

 as much pains to acquire this accomplishment as youth 

 among us do to become elegant dancers, or skilful horse- 

 men : hence the profound contempt of death which they 

 imbibe, even in their earliest years. This disregard of 

 death, which they prefer to the slightest disgrace, extends 

 to the very lowest class among the Japanese." 



The dress of the superior class which visited the 

 ' Samarang ', nearly resembled that of Loo-Choo, being 

 composed of very loose trowsers and shirt of fine grass- 

 cloth, with a fine blue and white striped tunic of the same 

 material, but stouter, the whole confined by a broad sash 



c2 



