num_pages: 365
description: For most Western observers, the Japanese practice of voluntary death, whether the self-inflicted sword-stroke of a warrior or the simultaneous suicide of lovers, is shocking and difficult to understand. The practice of voluntary death is deeply alien to Western Culture and to the Christian view that God alone is entrusted with power over life and death.In Japan, however,a tradition of voluntary death has existed for more than a millenium. The suicides of
language: English
title: Voluntary Death in Japan
publisher: Polity