A Peculiar Case of Suicide Enacted Through the Ancient Japanese Ritual of Jigai

作者：Maiese Aniello^*; Gitto Lorenzo; dell'Aquila Massimiliano; Bolino Giorgio

来源：American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 2014, 35(1): 8-10.

DOI：10.1097/PAF.0000000000000070

• self-inflicted
• jigai
• cut throat injury
• harakiri
• ritual suicide

In the past, self-infliction of sharp force was a classic form of suicide, while in modern times it is quite rare, constituting only 2% to 3% of all self-inflicted deaths. In Japan, the jigai (自害) ritual is a traditional method of female suicide, carried out by cutting the jugular vein using a knife called a tanto. The jigai ritual is the feminine counterpart of seppuku (well-known as harakiri), the ritual suicide of samurai warriors, which was carried out by a deep slash into the abdomen. In contrast to seppuku, jigai can be performed without assistance, which was fundamental for seppuku.
The case we describe here involves an unusual case of suicide in which the victim was a male devotee of Japanese culture and weapons. He was found dead in his bathtub with a deep slash in the right lateral-cervical area, having cut only the internal jugular vein with a tanto knife, exactly as specified by the jigai ritual.

• 出版日期2014-3