“Harakiri,” Kazuo replied, with a bitter smile. “They are the same act. The same two characters. But you are right. The word matters.” He paused. “ Seppuku —the writing suggests ‘cutting the belly with order and ritual.’ A noble death. A gift. Harakiri —‘belly-slashing’—is what the common people call it. What the Americans called it in their war magazines. They drew cartoons of it, you know. Little yellow men gutting themselves for the Emperor.”
The old man watched, unable to look away. He had seen nothing like this since the war. He had thought it was dead. He had thought they had all agreed, silently, to let it die. harakiri y seppuku
Some retainers chose to follow their lord into death as a final act of loyalty. “Harakiri,” Kazuo replied, with a bitter smile
A samurai might commit seppuku to protest a decision or action of their superior. Evolution and Modern Legacy But you are right