Kogi Kaishakunin

Feudal Japan is notorious for its rite of suicide known as seppuku (切腹 – cut of belly), also known as harakiri (腹切 – belly-cut), although the latter term seems to be considered more vulgar. Like most Japanese inventions, Seppuku had a particular form to observe, and when executed flawlessly was considered an art work in itself.

While the subject attempted Seppuku, a second stood behind him with a sword preparing to deliver the mercy stroke. If the subject faltered in any way, or simply upon completion of the form, the mercy stroke would sever his head.

When the subject of Seppuku was a Daimyo - one of the barons reporting directly to the Shogun - then the logical choice of second would be the Shogun. But since that person was generally too busy with temporal affairs to perform this office, and often lacked the skill to do so, a champion of the sword was chosen to act in his place.

This man was known as the KogiKaishakunin. The KogiKaishakunin was the only person in all Japan apart from the Shogun himself who was permitted to wear the Shogun's hollyhock crest. So in LoneWolfAndCub the betrayal of and by Ogami Itto is to tie a knot in the most profound structures of feudal society.

Somewhere on Wiki is a pointer to how Seppuku and the whole Klingonesque importance of honor in the society has been greatly exaggerated in the West.

Exaggerated in what way? As for the Klingons, while there are cultural similarities they seem closer to Amerinds than Nippon. StarTrek as wagon-train-in-space needed its "redskins", and the Klingon government looks a lot like the IroquoisConfederacy. I don't seem to recall them committing Seppuku.

They do, when they don't have an intervention by their son and commanding officer. Let's not get hung up on whether or not KlingonAndJapaneseSystemsOfHonor? are the same.

Anyway, I assure you there is a link somewhere around here, I just can't seem to dig it up. [EditHint: someone out there must have seen the same page, help? SamuraiPrinciple perhaps?]

: Exaggerated in what way?

In the same way as the ideal noble knight is romanticized and exaggerated. The difference is that many Europeans are aware that few knights were more than rich men with the privilege of bearing arms, without more honor than any other person, but I get the feeling that samurai are held in higher regard, since we haven't heard as much in school about the real Japanese feudal society as we have about the European one. -- ClaesWallin