Suicide methods method of suicide, practiced mostly in the medieval era, though some isolated cases appear in modern times. For example, Yukio Mishima died by seppuku in 1970 after a failed "coup d'état" intended to restore full power to the Japanese emperor. Unlike other methods of suicide, this was regarded as a way of preserving one's honor. The ritual is part of "bushido", the code of the "samurai". As originally performed solely by an individual, it was an extremely painful method by which to die. Dressed ceremonially, with his sword placed in front of him and sometimes seated on special cloth, the
Yukio Mishima He also had roles in films including "Yukoku" (directed by himself, 1966), "Black Lizard" (directed by Kinji Fukasaku, 1968) and "Hitokiri" (directed by Hideo Gosha, 1969). He also sang the theme song for "Afraid to Die" (lyrics by himself; music by Shichirō Fukazawa). Mishima was featured as a photo model in "Ba-ra-kei: Ordeal by Roses" by Eikoh Hosoe, as well as in "Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan" and "Otoko: Photo Studies of the Young Japanese Male" by Tamotsu Yatō. American author Donald Richie gave a short lively account of Mishima, dressed in a loincloth and armed with a sword, posing