Seppuku wives of samurai who have performed seppuku or brought dishonor. Some women belonging to samurai families committed suicide by cutting the arteries of the neck with one stroke, using a knife such as a "tantō" or "kaiken". The main purpose was to achieve a quick and certain death in order to avoid capture. Before committing suicide, a woman would often tie her knees together so her body would be found in a dignified pose, despite the convulsions of death. Invading armies would often enter homes to find the lady of the house seated alone, facing away from the door. On
Samurai Shodown III the overall story is smaller in scope. The returning characters from the previous game are: New warriors added to the series included the following: The first part of a two-chapter story that is chronologically set between the events of "Samurai Shodown" and "Samurai Shodown II", "Samurai Shodown III" follows the journey of a young semi-amnesic boy named Shizumaru Hisame as he and many other warriors seek out a powerful and dangerous swordsman named Zankuro Minazuki for their own personal reasons. Like "Samurai Shodown", "Samurai Shodown III" was released on multiple consoles other than the Neo Geo and Neo Geo CD