Ritual suicide is a tradition begun by the Japanese samurai around 1180 AD. It consists of an individual cutting himself horizontally across and down his abdomen, then finishing the act by cutting his head (Hilton). Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly is a tragic love story that ends with the ritual suicide of the Japanese lover. Another story that portrays ritual suicide is "Patriotism" by Yukio Mishima. Both of these works shed light on a Western culture that sees such sacrifice as an honor and is also deeply rooted in tradition. Ritual suicide is an honorable and meaningful end to life that individuals may choose to make when faced with profound shame, remorse, or dishonor. Ritual suicide is believed to have been conducted by Japanese samurai for approximately 700 years and was a highly ritualized process. (Hilton). Many measures have been taken to carry out ritual suicide. First the individual had to write an actual poem or letter about death to give further meaning to the death. Next, the individual would wash, put on formal clothing, and go to the designated suicide area. In most cases there were witnesses in that place. This location would be immaculate and decorated with white cloth. Finally a dagger would be drawn and the individual would open their abdomen with the dagger. After cutting the abdomen, the person would take the dagger to their throat and cut it completely, but not enough to completely decapitate the head (Hilton). Ritual suicide did not have to involve exactly these steps and could be performed hastily, however the dagger cut to the abdomen was almost always completed. Ritual suicide has been conducted for numerous reasons, but the most common... half of the document...-130. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. vol. 196. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Network. April 9, 2014.Carroll, Michael Thomas. "The Bloody Show: Mishima, the Sacred Heart, Hogarth, Cronenberg, and the Bowels of Culture." Popular Culture Studies 15.2 (1993): 43-56. Rpt. in twentieth-century literary criticism. Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau. vol. 161. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Network. April 9, 2014.Talmor, Sascha. "Mishima: A Passion for Life and Death." Durham University Journal (July 1991): 269-276. Rpt. in twentieth-century literary criticism. Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau. vol. 161. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Network. April 9, 2014.Lee, Kori. "Eastern and Western Views on Death and Suicide." HubPages. 15 January 2013. Web. 09 April 2014. Web.