You may have heard of the Japanese ritual of Seppuku – it refers to form of suicide via the method of disembowelment that was normally reserved for only the samurai, as it enabled them to retain their honour in the face of certain death and not be captured by their enemies, and likely tortured for information before ultimately being killed anyway. It was performed by inserting the samurai sword into the abdomen and moving it slowly from left to right. The practice is also known as Harikari.

Although it was originally used by the samurais, a number of Japanese soldiers also utilised the technique following their country’s surrender in World War II so as to not be captured by the Allies and lose their honour. Here are a bunch of photographs of one such officer committing Seppuku on a beach following his capture. The NSFW ones are on the next page if you’re really squeamish and worried about clicking through.

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