Most Japanese samurai were bound by a strict code of honor (bushido) and were expected to set an example for those below them. A disgraced samurai could retrieve his honor and respect by committing suicide by a gruesome and painful means (seppuku)- stabbing himself in the stomach with his own sword. When time was allowed, samurai would have a friend or student, called a "Kaishaku" (executioner) decapitate them after the initial cut across the abdomen. Being a samurai was supposed to be all about honor - even in death.

In an excerpt from the chapter "AN ACCOUNT OF THE HARA-KIRI" in Mitford's "Tales of Old Japan", the author describes a friend witnessing an act of Seppuku:

"There are many stories on record of extraordinary heroism being displayed in the hara-kiri. The case of a young fellow, only twenty years old, of the Choshiu clan, which was told me the other day by an eye-witness, deserves mention as a marvellous instance of determination. Not content with giving himself the one necessary cut, he slashed himself thrice horizontally and twice vertically. Then he stabbed himself in the throat until the dirk protruded on the other side, with its sharp edge to the front; setting his teeth in one supreme effort, he drove the knife forward with both hands through his throat, and fell dead."

In practice, there were examples of disloyal samurai. Japanese history is filled with examples of treacherous, cowardly, brave or extremely loyal samurai. Samurai were usually loyal to their immediate superiors, who in turn allied themselves with higher lords. These alliances to higher lords often shifted, however. For example, the feudal lords allied under Toyotomi Hideyoshi enjoyed the loyalty of their men, however the feudal lords themselves might shift their backing to Tokugawa. This did not mean that the low ranked samurai were disloyal, they merely followed the alliance of their immediate superior.

Torii Mototada, the final statement of Torii Mototada (1600 A.D.)

"For myself, I am resolved to make a stand within the castle and to die a quick death. It would not take much trouble to break through a part of their numbers and escape, no matter how many tens of thousands of horsemen approached for the attack or by how many columns we were surrounded. But that is not the true meaning of being a warrior, and it would be difficult to account as loyalty....."

Final Statement of the 47 Ronin, final statements of the 47 Ronin (1701 A.D.)

"Every day that we waited seemed as three autumns to us....Asano Takumi no Kami died without having avenged himself, and this was more than his retainers could endure. It is impossible to remain under the same heaven with the enemy of lord or father; for this reason we have dared to declare enmity against a personage of so exalted rank. This day we shall attack Kira Kotsuke no Suke, in order to finish the deed of vengeance which was begun by our dead lord. If any honourable person should find our bodies after death, he is respectfully requested to open and read this document."

Onoda, Hiroo. No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War. Trans. Charles S. Terry. New York: Kodansha International Ltd., 1974

No surrender! These words were drilled into young Hiroo Onoda's head by parents, peers, and superior officer. Onoda learned his lesson well. As a Japanese army lieutenant, he continued to fight W.W. II until 1974. Like a samurai of old, Onoda suffered through 30 grueling years carrying out his final orders--to gather intelligence and direct guerrilla warfare on the tiny Philippine island of Lubang. "My orders were to fight to the finish...." With this attitude and the government's ideals before them, many young soldiers ended their lives to preserve their honor. Onoda's own mother gave him an ancestor's dagger, before he left for Lubang Island, in case he had to commit suicide to avoid surrender." Onoda ignored the pleas of search parties and members of his own family to give up. Finally, his former commanding officer, Major Taniguchi was summoned from Japan and gave Onoda his formal orders to stand down. On March 10, 1974, he formally surrendered at the Lubang Radar Base to Maj. Gen. J. L. Rancudo of the Philippine Air Force. He ceremoniously presented his sword to the major general. As a mark of respect, it was immediately returned to the surprised Onoda. The following day the ceremony was repeated for the world's press when Pres. Ferdinand Marcos again returned Onoda's sword to him. He also pardoned Onoda for his crimes on Lubang, much to the disgust of the islanders Onoda had raided and shot at for the last 30 years.