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Japan was a very strange country. Most people showed their loyal side when they were out in public, because that was very bushido—but when it came to family, only a fraction of them could remain faithful.
That alone would have been one thing, but they also had an atmosphere that revered death. This had probably evolved from the samurai practice of seppuku...
To the people of that country, a samurai committing seppuku was a very romantic affair—not only did it require a second, but it also had to be carried out in the presence of a locally prominent figure.
In the late shogunate period, many samurai who had fallen on hard times went to the homes of prominent people and threatened to commit seppuku in hopes of getting a job. After all, everyone had compassion; not everyone could watch someone commit seppuku right before them and remain unmoved.
But once there was a precedent, many people who saw no hope for themselves went to prominent households and asked to commit seppuku. In Celestial Empire terms, it was like saying, "I fucking want to hang myself outside your front door, so you'd better watch out!"
One or two would have been manageable. After all, prominent households had money; supporting one or two people was no big deal. But what the hell were they supposed to do when more and more came? The masters of those households began to feel as though everyone they saw was saying, "How about you bear witness for me? I'll commit seppuku and kill myself in your house."
Some people were unwilling to put up with it. What the hell, had they gotten addicted to making threats? "Come on, do it. I'll fucking watch you kill yourself. If you don't dare commit seppuku today, then don't