snake torture; binding and placing in a tub of snakes
Historical torture method in which the victim is bound and placed in a tub or pit with snakes. Rarely used outside historical or cultural references.
A snake-torture scene appeared in the period drama.
Snake torture is known as one of the tortures of the Edo period.
Standard kanji spelling for this historical torture term.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling sometimes seen in modern descriptions.
Compound of 蛇 (へび, 'snake') and 責め (ぜめ, 'torture, torment'). The exact historical origin is uncertain, but the term is associated with Edo-period punishment lore.