Title: Jizō Jūō Zu (Jizo Ten Kings), Circa 1850. A Complete Set of 11 Paintings Depicting Jizo Bosatsu and the Ten Kings of Hell in the Courts of Yanluo, With Brutal Scenes of Souls Being Tortured by Oni in the Various Hell Realms of Diyu
Condition: Very Good
A Late Edo Period, mid 19th century set of eleven paintings, entitled Jizō Jūō Zu, or Jizo Ten Kings, depicting the Jizo Bosatsu and the Ten Kings of Hell in the Courts of Yanluo, with some rather brutal scenes of souls being tortured by oni in the various hell realms of Diyu, but focusing on some of the punishments listed in the Eighteen Levels of Hell.
Jizo Bosatsu, also known as Ksitigarbha, is the bodhisattva of the dwellers of hell, and guardian of children, both living and deceased, the latter of which includes the souls of mizuko ("water children"), being stillborn, miscarried, or aborted children. He has taken upon the responsibility to instruct all beings in the Rokudo (Six Realms of Rebirth) and has vowed to not achieve Buddhahood until all of the realms of hell have been emptied. In one hand, he carries a staff to force open the gates of hell, and in the other, a wish-fulfilling jewel to light up the darkness. In East Asian Mahayana Buddhism, he is one of the four principal bodhisattvas along with Samantabhadra, Manjusri, and Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin).
The Ten Kings of Hell originate from the depictions of Diyu, a rather interesting combination of the Buddhist Naraka, traditional Chinese beliefs about the afterlife, and a variety of popular expansions and reinterpretations of these two traditions. Although it is commonly referred to as a hell, it is more strictly a type of purgatory that serves to punish and renew spirits in preparation for reincarnation, with some parallels to relevant Christian beliefs.
Before being sent to their respective hell, sinners are placed in from of the Mirror Platform (which is depicted in one of the paintings), to see all their sins in life. Diyu is divided into 10 courts, as mentioned prior, each overseen by a judge. The Ten Courts have many names, including the Ten Courts of Yanwang, Ten Lords of Minggong, Ten Courts of Yan-jun, Ten-Lords of Difu, and Ten-Lords of Mingfu.
The following are the ten kings, their roles, and the realms they oversee:
King Qin'guang, charged to oversee the life and death and fortunes of all humans, and the Mirror Platform
King Chujiang, charged to oversee the Hell Realms of Sañjīva and Arbuda
King Songdi, charged to oversee the Hell Realms of Kālasūtra and Nirarbuda
King Wuguan, charged to oversee the Hell Realms of Saṃghāta and Aṭaṭa
King Yanluo, god of death and ruler of Diyu, overseeing the Ten Kings of Hell. Also known as King Yama. Oversee the Hell Realms of Raurava, Hahava, and the Sixteen Heart-Gouging Hells
King Biancheng, charged to oversee the Hell Realms of Mahāraurava, Huhuva, and the City of Innocent Deaths
King Taishan, charged to oversee the Hell Realms of Tapana and Utpala
King Dushi, charged to oversee the Hell Realms of Pratāpana and Padma
King Pingdeng, charged to oversee the Hell Realms of Avīci and Mahāpadma
King Zhuanlun, charged to send souls for reincarnation
The paintings have been produced in rustic fashion, most likely made for a temple to be publicly displayed. As mentioned prior, these torturous depictions stem from the eighteen hells, which vary from narrative to narrative, but some commonly mentioned tortures include: being steamed; being fried in oil cauldrons; being sawed into half; being run over by vehicles; being pounded in a mortar and pestle; being ground in a mill; being crushed by boulders; being made to shed blood by climbing trees or mountains of knives; having sharp objects driven into their bodies; having hooks pierced into their bodies and being hung upside down; drowning in a pool of filthy blood; being left naked in the freezing cold; being set aflame or cast into infernos; being tied naked to a bronze cylinder with a fire lit at its base; being forced to consume boiling liquids; tongue ripping; eye gouging; teeth extraction; heart digging; disembowelment; skinning; being trampled, gored, mauled, eaten, stung, bitten, pecked, etc., by animals such as mice, wasps, maggots, and leeches.
Quite a few of these have been depicted in brutal detail and color.
The paintings have been neatly mounted onto brocade decorated kakejiku (hanging scroll), with jikusaki (knobs) made of lacquered wood.
Eleven paintings mounted on a kakejiku (hanging scroll), 170 x 47.4cm full size, 90.5 x 37 cm main painting
These paintings are in good shape, with minimal rubbing and wear to the protective scroll covers. Each painting has a few creases, and minor soiling and staining, barring two of the paintings with somewhat heavier staining.