How many times can someone successfully perform hara-kiri (also known as hari-kari)?

Hara-kiri, more formally known as seppuku in Japan, is a ritualistic act of suicide by disembowelment, primarily practiced by Japanese samurai. The very nature of this act, which involves self-infliction of a fatal wound to the abdomen, means it can only be successfully performed once. It is a definitive and irreversible act of taking one's own life.

This solemn practice dates back to at least the 12th century, with origins potentially even earlier. For samurai, hara-kiri was considered an honorable way to die, allowing them to avoid capture, atone for perceived failures, protest injustice, or regain lost honor. It embodied the principles of Bushido, the samurai code, emphasizing loyalty, courage, and self-sacrifice. The ritual was often highly formalized, involving specific attire, the composition of a death poem, and the presence of a "kaishakunin" (second), who would perform a swift decapitation immediately after the samurai made the abdominal cut to shorten suffering.

The term "hara-kiri" literally translates from Japanese as "belly-cutting" ("hara" meaning abdomen or bowels, and "kiri" meaning to cut). While "hara-kiri" is commonly used in the West, the Japanese typically prefer the term "seppuku," which carries a more formal and ritualistic connotation, referring to the entire ceremony rather than just the physical act of cutting the stomach. Although officially outlawed in 1873 with the decline of the samurai class, instances of this form of suicide have occurred in later periods, reflecting its deep cultural roots.