The Sensational Suicide of General Nogi

In continuing with some extra research, I discovered a book entitled Suicidal Honor: General Nogi and the Writings of Mori Ōgai and Natsume Sōseki by Doris G. Bargen.  Because I haven't focused too much on specific suicides, I've decided for this post to discuss one of Japan's most famous deaths--that of the (in)famous General Nogi (1849-1912).

First, a little background information.  During the Meiji period 明治時代 (1868-1912), Nogi Maresuke 乃木 希典 was a well-known and highly respected general in Japan's imperial army.  But after losing the imperial banner in the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, Nogi began to exhibit a peculiar longing for death that never abandoned him.  It wasn't until the day of Emperor Mutsuhito's funeral on September 13 that Nogi finally took his own life alongside his wife.

The historical and cultural significance of Nogi's death lies in the manner in which he executed it.  Nogi committed a form of seppuku called junshi 殉死, which literally means to "follow one's Lord into death."  In spite of the massive and ubiquitous Westernization that Japan was experiencing at the time, Nogi opted for an ancient ritualized form of suicide.  The effects his suicide had, however, were ultimately polarizing.  Several Japanese peoples lauded the act as a rekindling of the traditional Japanese values of self-sacrifice and loyalty; others viewed it as an unnecessary and outdated return to a pre-modern past.  Unsurprisingly, foreigners had the most trouble comprehending the violent display.  But indisputably, Nogi became a sort of paragon for Japanese values; he epitomized self-sacrifice and honor and immortalized himself as a hero of Japan.

What struck me was this tension between the East and the West.  Even today, there seems to be the question of how "Western" Japan should strive to be--and what parts of its indigenous tradition it should preserve.  Only in the past decade or so did Japan's MHLW begin to promote suicide prevention in light of the peak in suicide rates starting in the late '90s.  But why did it take so long for Japan to address the issue of suicide when self-inflicted deaths had been a problem for decades?  Could it have had anything to do with Japan's attempts to distinguish itself from the West and to avoid typical Western measures such as prevention programs?  It is my belief, and one that I hope to prove in my research paper, that there is still a struggle between traditional values and progressive foreign thought when it comes to suicide.  But it remains a complicated concept.  What do you think?