Hara-kiri, also known as seppuku, is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. The word hara-kiri means "stomach-cutting" in Japanese, where the word "hara" refers to the stomach and "kiri" refers to cutting. Seppuku is an honorable death or ritualistic suicide by disembowelment that can only be conducted by a samurai. The practice of hara-kiri originated during the Heian period, and the first known instance was after the 1180 Battle of Uji, when Minamoto Yorimasa ended his life to escape torture at the hands of his enemies. Most samurai who were defeated, if they had not been killed outright, would go this route. Seppuku was in this case considered a mercy in the context of the battlefield, a chance for the samurai to die on their own terms should a battle not go in their favor. While hara-kiri was seen as a test of honor and composure as well as a way to poetically redeem oneself in Japan, the West had an entirely different opinion.