The wife of Onodera Junai, one of the Forty-seven Ronin, prepares for her suicide.

Jigai (自害) was a traditional method of ritual suicide for women in Japan. Although the term literally means "self damage" and in principle can refer to suicide in general, in practice it normally refers to the ritual suicide of women by the cutting of the jugular vein with a tantō (15-30 cm (6-12 inch) knife) or kaiken (15 cm (6 inch) knife). Often, they would be hidden prior within the sash of their kimono. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1560x2272, 723 KB) fr: La femme de Onodera Junai, lun des 47 ronin fidèles, se prépare au seppuku pour accompagner son mari dans la mort. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1560x2272, 723 KB) fr: La femme de Onodera Junai, lun des 47 ronin fidèles, se prépare au seppuku pour accompagner son mari dans la mort. ... Incense burns at the burial graves of the 47 Ronin at Sengaku-ji. ... Ritual suicide is the act of suicide motivated by a religious, spiritual, or traditional ritual. ... The jugular veins are veins that bring deoxygenated blood from the head back to the heart via the superior vena cava. ... Two Tantō tantō blade hidden in a fan-shaped mounting A Tantō (短刀) is a Japanese knife or dagger with a blade length of about 15 - 30 cm (6 - 12). There is a disputed saying about the tantō, wakizashi, and katana stating they are The Tantō differs from the others as... Obi (帯, おび) is a Japanese word referring to several different types of sashes worn with kimono and martial arts uniforms by both men and women. ...

Jigai is the female equivalent of seppuku, the ritual stomach-cutting suicide practiced by Japanese men. However, unlike seppuku, jigai could be performed without assistance. Since the severing of the jugular vein brought rapid death there was no need for beheading. Although men were expected to stoically bear the extreme pain associated with seppuku, the women were not. Furthermore, this would cause minimum disfigurement of the body. Seppuku (Japanese: 切腹, belly-cutting) is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. ... Seppuku (Japanese: 切腹, belly-cutting) is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. ...

Before committing jigai, a woman would often tie her ankles together so her body would be found in a dignified pose, despite the convulsions of death. The act was often done to preserve one's honor if a military defeat was imminent, i.e. to prevent rape. Invading armies would often enter homes to find the lady of the house seated alone, facing away from the door. On approaching her, they would find that she had quietly ended her life long before they reached her. This article is about epileptic seizures. ...

Misc.

The Czechoslovakian goregrind band Jig-Ai takes their name from Jigai. Czechoslovakia (Czech: Československo, Slovak: Česko-Slovensko/before 1990 Československo) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1992 (except for the World War II period). ... Goregrind, also known as grindgore, is a subgenre of grindcore, which is related to music styles such as death metal, thrash metal, and crust punk. ...

See also

• Jauhar in India