To a Japanese Gentleman of the Old School there are two ways of avenging an insult:
1) For an Insult-in-Ordinary, repair to the doorstep of your Insulter, and there publicly jump up and down, holding your breath, until your face is purple with congested blood. The insulter's neighbors will not let him forget this rebuke in a hurry.
2) For an Insult-Extraordinary, you repair again to the Insulter's home, and standing upon the door sill, disembowel yourself with a sharp knife. This is the final retort (hara-kiri), to which there can be no...
To continue reading: or Log-In