kaishakunin

The term kaishakunin refers to a second person in the Japanese ritual suicide known as seppuku or hara-kiri. This practice was primarily carried out by men of the samurai class in feudal Japan as a way to demonstrate courage, self-control, and sincerity.1

The kaishakunin's role was to decapitate the samurai during the ritual. This was often done to lessen the extreme pain and slow death associated with disembowelment. The kaishakunin was typically a relative or friend of the person committing seppuku. This practice was a form of capital punishment for samurai from the 15th century until it was abolished in 1873.12