Kaishakunin (Japanese: 介錯人, 'care worker') are an optional part of the seppuku (also called harakiri) suicide ritual.

During seppuku, a samurai is expected to disembowel themselves by plunging a short blade (such as a tanto) into their belly and slicing it open horizontally. If the cut is deep enough, it can sever the abdominal aorta, causing death in mere seconds by rapid exsanguination... if not, the victim could remain alive for hours of ongoing agony. For this reason, a kaishakunin is often appointed to behead the victim at the moment they gut themselves, sparing them from prolonged suffering.