secretly slitting one's belly; concealed seppuku (in kabuki/bunraku)
A theatrical technique in traditional Japanese drama where a character appears to die by seppuku but hides the fatal wound until a dramatic reveal. Not used in everyday language.
In the kabuki play 'Kanadehon Chūshingura', the scene where the magistrate performs kagebara is famous.
Compound of 陰 (kage, 'shadow, hidden') and 腹 (hara, 'belly'), referring to a hidden belly-slitting. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.