However, it is thought that the significance of seppuku gradually changed after Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI united the nation, with individuals such as Hidetsugu TOYOTOMI and SEN no Rikyu being ordered to commit seppuku as a form of punishment.
しかし、豊臣秀吉が天下を統一するころから徐々に切腹に対する意識が変わったと思われ、豊臣秀次、千利休らは刑罰として切腹を命じられた。