The following day, however, he summoned all his friends and relatives, to the number of about twenty, and caused them to assemble in one of the detached pavilions of the villa which had been assigned to his use. Squatting on their heels around the room, with their “hibashi” or charcoal boxes in front of them, from the burning embers of which they every few minutes lighted their small and peculiarly shaped pipes, they listened in silence to a long document which the young man, who was seated in the middle of the room, read to them. Its contents were to the effect that he had rendered himself responsible for the honesty of the servants of his employer's establishment, that an important theft had occurred, that he had been held accountable, and that not only had he been loaded with reproaches, but even himself been suspected of being the thief. Dishonor such as this could only be wiped out by his blood. He had therefore requested his friends and relatives to be present during his last moments, and to receive his dying wishes.
As soon as he had concluded the reading of this document every one of those present prostrated himself with a long-drawn exclamation of “Hai,” which seemed to come from the very depths of the heart. This was to indicate that they fully approved of the course which he intended to adopt.
After a few moments of profound silence the young man, in a low but yet matter-of-fact tone of voice, addressed each one of those present in succession, giving directions as to the disposal of his property and messages for absent acquaintances.
Then there was another silence, during which cups of tea and “sakke” were passed around.
Suddenly, on a sign from the young man, the person nearest to him, and who was his dearest relative, arose and left the room. On returning a few minutes later he drew from his loose and flowing sleeve a short but heavy Japanese sword about twenty inches in length. The whole of the broad, heavy blade and the razor-like edge were hidden by a double layer of fine but opaque Japanese tissue paper, which effectually concealed from sight every trace of the deadly steel excepting about a quarter of an inch of the point. Prostrating himself before the young Samurai he handed it to him with much formality.
The latter received it in the same ceremonious manner, and having taken one last whiff at his pipe and replaced it in the fire-box, he bared his stomach, and inserting the point into his left side, plunged it up to its hilt, and then, without a cry, without a moan, or even a single exclamation of pain, drew it swiftly across to the right side and halfway back again before he fell forward on his face. A few gasps were all that was heard, except the deep-drawn sighs of those present. The plucky young fellow was dead. Almost every internal organ had been severed by the terrible cut, and he lay there motionless in a pool of blood, the red color of which contrasted vividly with the pure whiteness of the straw matting.
COMMITTING HARI-KARI.
Tenderly raising him up, his friends bore the corpse into an adjoining room, where, after washing off the blood and cleansing the body, they clothed it in the full costume of a Samurai and laid him on a mat, with his legs drawn up and crossed, his hands folded on his breast, and his two swords—the long one for his enemies and the short one for himself—lying on the ground by his side. Not a trace of pain or anguish was to be seen on the dead man's face, which looked incredibly calm and peaceful.