I have been reading Shōgun by James Clavell recently and it is an excellent book so far. The history is va Rey interesting and from what I’ve read it is generally correct yet I am not sure about the extreme use of seppuku in the book. I found it hard to gain actual information on seppuku in medieval japan so I am asking here. Was seppuku an extremely common form of suicide by samurai for even slight mishaps? Furthermore, was it true that samurai would actively ask their superiors to commit seppuku for a dishonorable action?
The novel comes up in questions from time to time. While I have not read it or watched the TV series, from descriptions of it and from past answers it seems greatly exaggerate these kind of exotic things for drama and world building.
Specifically in this case, no, people didn't commit seppuku at the drop of a proverbial hat. The two answers by /u/NientedeNada found here specifically deal with the question at hand. You might be also interested on our FAQ on seppuku.