also: はっつけ
noun
execution by tying to a post and spearing
Historical Japanese punishment: the victim was tied to a post and stabbed with spears. This is the original meaning, distinct from Western crucifixion.
江戸時代には磔が公開処刑として行われた。
In the Edo period, haritsuke was carried out as a public execution.
磔はキリスト教の磔刑とは異
Haritsuke is a Japanese punishment different from Christian crucifixion.
noun
Christian context; refers to crucifixion as a method of execution. Usually written in kana as はりつけ.
See also: 磔刑 (たっけい)
イエス・キリストのはりつけは聖書に記されている。
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is recorded in the Bible.
はりつけの絵が教会の壁に飾られていた。
A painting of the crucifixion was displayed on the church wall.
Kana spelling is usual for the Christian crucifixion sense.
Explicitly adds 刑 (punishment). Rare; mostly seen in historical or explanatory contexts.
Alternate reading restricted to 磔. Rare and possibly dialectal or archaic.
Originally referred to a Japanese form of capital punishment where the condemned was tied to a post and speared. The kanji 磔 means 'to tear apart' or 'dismember', reflecting the brutal nature of the execution. The reading はりつけ likely derives from 張り付け (pinning/stretching and attaching). The Christian sense of crucifixion is a later semantic extension.