{"id":5297,"date":"2026-04-27T10:36:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/enma-o\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:32:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:32:33","slug":"enma-o","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/enma-o\/","title":{"rendered":"Enma-o"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5297\" class=\"elementor elementor-5297 elementor-2006 elementor-bc-flex-widget\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Enma O, god of the Japanese tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Enma O is a god of the Japanese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>.<\/p><p><strong>Judge of the damned, ruler of the Buddhist hell.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"God \/ Goddess: Personified supreme power in the pantheon of a culture, with clear responsibilities: forces of nature, fate, war, fertility. Worshipped through cults, sacrifices, and temple institutions.\">God<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/japan\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Japanese Shinto kami and Buddhist yokai worlds.\">Japan<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/death-deities\/\" class=\"iwg-tradition-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Gods of the underworld and of death, rulers of the afterlife, judges of the dead, guides of souls.\">Deity of the dead<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_japan_enma-o-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5298\" alt=\"Enma O - gods from the Japanese tradition, historical and illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_japan_enma-o-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_japan_enma-o-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_japan_enma-o-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_japan_enma-o.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Enma O<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">At a glance: Enma O<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Enma-\u014d is the East Asian form of the Indian Yama, who came to the Tendai school by way of the Chinese Y\u00e1nlu\u00f3-W\u00e1ng. Documented in East Asian Buddhism since roughly the 8th century, he was spread in particular by the Tendai and Shingon schools.<\/p><p>As the presiding figure among the ten judges of hell (J\u016b\u014d), he decides the fate of the soul on the seventh day after death.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Classification<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the texts<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The oldest surviving Japanese sources on Enma-\u014d date from the late 8th and early 9th century, embedded in the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">transmission<\/span> of Buddhist hell cosmologies from China. The <em>Nihon Ry\u014diki<\/em> (ca. 822) contains early narratives in which Enma-\u014d questions the deceased.<\/p><p>In the 12th century the system of the ten judges of hell, with Enma-\u014d as the presiding figure, becomes firmly established; the standard iconographic repertoire (crown, dark skin, mirror, writing tablet) emerges in the Kamakura period.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of distribution<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The worship of Enma-\u014d was widespread across the Buddhist world of East Asia, from the great <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> cities of Ky\u014dto and Nara to rural <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A religiously motivated journey to a sacred site.\" tabindex=\"0\">pilgrimage<\/span> sites.<\/p><p>Especially formative was his image in the Buddhist temple halls, where statues of the judge of hell were meant to prompt the living to ethical self-examination. Folk theatre took up the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring thematic element in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span> from the 14th century onward; Enma-\u014d appears regularly in N\u014d and Kabuki plays as a figure of incorruptible judgment.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">State of the sources<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Research in religious history on Enma-\u014d draws on a broad source base: <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to the authoritatively recognized body of scriptures of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">canonical<\/span> Buddhist s\u016btras in Chinese translation, Tendai Buddhist setsuwa collections, iconographic image tablets (J\u016b\u014d-zu), and popular otogi-z\u014dshi tales.<\/p><p>The central standard works come from regional religious <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The discipline that studies cultures and societies comparatively.\" tabindex=\"0\">ethnology<\/span> and from international Buddhist studies; a curated bibliography for each being is continually added to within the lexicon.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Name<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Enma-\u014d is depicted as a huge, muscular figure with deep-red or blue-black skin. His hair stands up in flames, and his eyes glow like burning coals. He wears a brocade-adorned robe and sits on a raised throne.<\/p><p>In his hands he holds a judge&#8217;s sword (<em>kensaku<\/em>) and often a large ledger or scroll recording the karmic balance of each soul. His symbols are the guardians of hell (<em>oni<\/em>), the river of the damned, and the various levels of hell beneath his realm.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Characteristics<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Enma-\u014d receives every soul immediately after death. In the judgment of the dead, lay clerics or one&#8217;s own evil deeds sit as accusers, while the ledger does not lie. Enma-\u014d does not negotiate, he carries out. His decision determines the next rebirth within the six realms of existence (<em>Rokud\u014d<\/em>).<\/p><p>His realm is not simply punishment but karmic balancing: a stony path, boiling oil, or return as a hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being to which an effect in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span>. In the Tendai school, small shrines to Enma-\u014d are maintained in local <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span>, often with <em>Jiz\u014d<\/em> statues nearby that symbolize aid for damned children.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Enma O<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In Japanese Buddhism, Enma-O is the judge of the dead who passes judgment on the deceased according to their deeds. He is usually depicted as a wrathful dignitary in Chinese official dress with a judge&#8217;s cap and a tablet of office. His figure combines Indian, Chinese, and Japanese layers of tradition into a distinct presence in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Religious ideas and customs that are widespread in everyday life.\" tabindex=\"0\">folk belief<\/span> and temple art.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Origin<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Enma-O is the Japanese Buddhist adaptation of the Chinese Yanluo, whose root lies in the Indian <em>Yama<\/em>, the Vedic god of the dead and first mortal (Rigveda 10.14).<\/p><p>With the spread of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Great Vehicle; one of the three main traditions of Buddhism, with the bodhisattva ideal.\" tabindex=\"0\">Mahayana<\/span> Buddhism across Central Asia, Yama&#8217;s concept reached China in the 6th to 8th century and was developed there into Yanluo Wang, the king of the ten hells.<\/p><p>In the 9th to 10th century Japanese Buddhism adopted this system with the <em>J\u016b\u014d<\/em> (ten kings). Enma-O stands at the highest rank in this series. In religious history, the Indian doctrine of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, the law of cause and effect of action: every deed acts back upon subsequent existences.\" tabindex=\"0\">karma<\/span>, the Chinese concept of an official bureaucracy, and Japanese ideas of the dead merged together.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Enma O's audience<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A further article with additional sources is being prepared and will appear shortly.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Appearance<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial content and its meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span> Enma-O is depicted as a fearsome old man with a long black beard, dark skin, and burning eyes. He wears the robe of a Chinese official of the Tang dynasty with an imperial crown (<em>raikan<\/em>).<\/p><p>In his hands he holds the Golden Book of Life (<em>j\u014dfuzu<\/em>), in which all karmic deeds are recorded, and a scepter or writing brush.<\/p><p>Before his tribunal stand the messengers <em>Ni\u016b-T\u014d<\/em> (ox-head) and <em>Ba-Mien<\/em> (horse-face), as well as the recording secretary. The temple paintings (<em>jigoku-z\u014dshi<\/em> of the Edo period) show him surrounded by scenes of hell.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sphere of influence<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Sphere of influence:<\/strong> Enma-O is the universal judge of all the deceased; on the seventh of the 49 days of the dead (the 49th day after death) the central reckoning of karma takes place before his tribunal. He decides on rebirth in one of the six worlds (gods, demigods, humans, animals, hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being to which agency in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirits<\/span>, hells).<\/p><p>His judgment is not arbitrary but strictly in accordance with karma (<em>dharmic<\/em>). The living also worship him to mitigate the karma of the deceased. In the farming regions of Japan he is regarded as a protective god against unexpected death and as a helper in difficult births.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Protection<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Symbols: the Golden Book of Life (<em>j\u014dfuzu<\/em>), writing brush, sword, the mirror of truth (<em>j\u014dhari no kagami<\/em>); before this mirror all the deeds of one&#8217;s life become visible as images.<\/p><p>His <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Warding off evil: of signs and objects intended to keep harmful influences away.\" tabindex=\"0\">apotropaic<\/span> feature: konjac dishes are offered to him as his favorite food (Edo tradition); Enma-Omamori in red silk protect against unexpected death and karmic illnesses.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Enma O's parallels<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Scholarship in the history of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religion<\/span> describes Enma-O as the Japanese form of a judge figure that traveled by way of India and China. In the Vedic texts, Yama is the first mortal and lord of the realm of the dead; in Chinese Buddhism he becomes the fifth of the Ten Kings of Hell. Japan adopted this judicial model together with the notion of intermediate states after death, in which the bereaved can intercede for the deceased through memorial rites.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7533bc7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7533bc7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2447d18d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2447d18d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Practice of protection<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d0260c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5d0260c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341be2ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341be2ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Apotropaic and devotional rituals<\/strong><\/p><p>Enma-O (Japanese \u95bb\u9b54\u5927\u738b) is the Japanese Buddhist adaptation of the Chinese Yanluo \/ Indian Yama. He is worshipped in numerous Enma temples in Japan (Genkaku-ji in Tokyo, Inn-ji in Kyoto, Enn\u014d-ji in Kamakura).<\/p><p>The main day of practice is the 16th day of the 1st and 7th month (<em>Enmasai<\/em>), regarded as a gateway to the world of hell.<\/p><p><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A person who undertakes a religiously motivated journey to a sacred place.\" tabindex=\"0\">Pilgrims<\/span> offer konjac dishes (Enma&#8217;s favorite food according to Edo tradition), prayers for deceased relatives, and petitions for the mitigation of karma (cf. Sekiguchi, <em>The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">Cult<\/span> of King Yama in Medieval Japan<\/em>).<\/p><p><strong>Sutras and invocations<\/strong><\/p><p>The <em>J\u016b\u014d-ky\u014d<\/em> (<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Hinduism and Buddhism, a teaching text in concise form.\" tabindex=\"0\">sutra<\/span> of the ten kings) is the main <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The fixed order of worship of a religious community.\" tabindex=\"0\">liturgy<\/span>. Buddhist monks recite the Heart <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Hinduism and Buddhism, a teaching text in concise form.\" tabindex=\"0\">Sutra<\/span> with special bows to Enma. The Edo period (17th to 19th century) saw the worship of Enma become popular within folk Buddhism through picture books (<em>jigoku-z\u014dshi<\/em>, hell scrolls).<\/p><p><strong><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, misfortune-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">Amulets<\/span> and protective symbols<\/strong><\/p><p>Enma-Omamori (protective amulets bearing an image of Enma) from the Enma temples, usually red fabric with golden embroidery. The Go\u014dh\u014din (<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> of the healing of the Yakushi Buddha) is worn against karmic illnesses.<\/p><p>The iconographic tablet of the ten kings of hell (<em>J\u016b\u014d-zu<\/em>) is hung at Buddhist household altars as a preparation for death.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Enma O, parallels in other cultures<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Enma-O goes back to the Indian god of the dead, Yama, who reached China with Buddhism and was incorporated there as Yanluo Wang into the system of the Ten Kings of Hell. This Chinese form came to Japan with the Buddhist schools and there became Enma-O. Comparable judge figures of the afterlife are known in other cultures as well, such as the Egyptian Osiris at the judgment of the dead or the Korean Yeomra, who stems from the same Buddhist tradition.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpdd3226a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpdd3226a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpecda6a8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpecda6a8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The journey of an Indian deity to Japan<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp085f5fd e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp085f5fd\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp00ded11 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp00ded11\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Enma-o, the ruler of the underworld and judge of the dead in Japanese Buddhism, is the final link in a long migration. His origin lies in Vedic India, where <em>Yama<\/em> was regarded as the first mortal and thus as king of the dead.<\/p><p>Through Buddhism the figure reached China, where it was incorporated as <em>Yanluo<\/em> into the system of underworld courts, and from there it passed by way of Korea to Japan. The Japanese name <em>Enma<\/em> is the phonetic adaptation of the Sanskrit <em>Yama<\/em>; the addition <em>o<\/em> means king.<\/p><p>At each stage the figure changed. The Indian Yama was at first more a ruler over a realm of the dead than a stern judge.<\/p><p>In China he merged with the bureaucratic idea of an otherworldly administration that examines the life of each deceased person, settles the account, and decides on their rebirth. This Chinese imprint, which portrays the afterlife as an apparatus of officials with files, scribes, and courts, was largely taken over by Japanese Buddhism.<\/p><p>In Japan, Enma-o was firmly embedded in popular Buddhist <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The lived religious attitude and practice of a person.\" tabindex=\"0\">piety<\/span>. He appears in sermons, in temple painting, and in teaching texts as the authority before which every person must give account after death. Unlike an abstract notion of karmic retribution, he gave this teaching a face, a concrete, addressable, and terrifying form.<\/p><p>The significance of this migration for <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religious studies<\/span> lies in the fact that Enma-o makes it possible to read how a religious idea is carried across linguistic and cultural boundaries and is recolored anew in each case.<\/p><p>The Japanese judge of the dead carries within himself the layers of three cultures: his Indian origin, the Chinese bureaucratization, and the Japanese folk-religious elaboration.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp3083d3c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp3083d3c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpd9e0c27 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpd9e0c27\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The ten kings of the underworld and the otherworldly court<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpfd44577 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpfd44577\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpc0abe80 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpc0abe80\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In the Chinese-influenced Buddhism that came to Japan, Enma-o is not the sole ruler of the afterlife but part of a collegium.<\/p><p>The system of the ten kings of the underworld, which was elaborated in the Chinese Middle Ages and reached Japan through picture scrolls and texts, assigns each king a court and a particular point in time after death.<\/p><p>The deceased passes through these courts in a fixed temporal sequence, on certain days after death and on anniversaries.<\/p><p>Enma-o holds a prominent position within this system. He is usually the fifth of the ten kings, his court is passed through on the thirty-fifth day after death, and he is regarded as the most important and most powerful among them. Before his tribunal the deeds of the deceased are examined with particular thoroughness.<\/p><p>Fixed iconographic elements belong to the equipment of his court. Enma-o keeps registers in which every good and bad deed is recorded.<\/p><p>At his side stand assistants; Japanese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span> knows, for instance, a figure carrying human-like heads on staffs, one with an angry expression and one with a calm one, which indicate the nature of the deceased.<\/p><p>A famous prop is the mirror of souls, in which the dead person sees his life and his transgressions reflected without disguise, so that lying becomes impossible.<\/p><p>This court system had a clear pastoral function. It provided the basis for the practice of commemorating the dead, observed at fixed intervals after death.<\/p><p>Through rites and the transfer of merit, the bereaved could favorably influence the course of the deceased through the ten courts. Enma-o was thus not merely a figure of terror but the pivot of an entire <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> economy between the living and the dead.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpc7399f9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpc7399f9\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp32219a9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp32219a9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Iconography and the temple images of the judges of hell<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpa8fb7d6 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpa8fb7d6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpfb0fb1b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpfb0fb1b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The pictorial representation of Enma-o follows a fixed convention derived from the Chinese model. He appears as a king or high official, often in the official garb of a Chinese dignitary with a characteristic crown or headdress on which the character for king frequently stands out.<\/p><p>His face is usually flushed with anger, with wide-open eyes and a grim expression, an image of incorruptible severity.<\/p><p>Such images are found in numerous Japanese temples, often as a sculpture in a hall of their own, the Enma hall. Famous examples are the Enma figures in temples in and around Kyoto and Kamakura.<\/p><p>Often Enma-o is surrounded by the other nine kings or embedded in a larger depiction of hell. The Japanese pictorial tradition of the <em>jigoku-e<\/em>, the images of hell, portrays the punishments of the underworld in drastic scenes and places Enma-o as the judging authority at their beginning.<\/p><p>An iconographically significant tradition connects Enma-o with the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Mahayana Buddhism, an enlightened being who postpones their liberation for the sake of teaching other beings.\" tabindex=\"0\">Bodhisattva<\/span> Jizo. In Japanese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The lived religious attitude and practice of a person.\" tabindex=\"0\">piety<\/span>, Jizo is regarded as the compassionate savior who stands by the beings in hell.<\/p><p>Some texts and images even interpret Enma-o and Jizo as two aspects of the same reality, the stern and the merciful side, which work together to lead the deceased toward improvement and a favorable rebirth. This pairing softens the terrible character of the judge and binds him into a salvation-oriented <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The scholarly doctrine of God and of the faith of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">theology<\/span>.<\/p><p>The temple images had an educational task. Preaching monks used them to bring home to lay people the consequences of bad conduct. The flushed, angry Enma-o was thus a teaching aid that translated the abstract doctrine of karma into a memorable, terrifying image.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp998b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp998b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpac0eec6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpac0eec6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Enma-o in folk belief and in modern culture<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpa4d7b45 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpa4d7b45\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp72e526a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp72e526a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Beyond the monasteries, Enma-o became a fixed figure of Japanese folk belief. His name entered fixed sayings and admonitions for children. Parents warned children who told lies that Enma-o would tear out their tongues, a threat known in many regions of Japan.<\/p><p>The judge of the dead thus became an authority of everyday moral education, long before a child ever set foot in a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span>.<\/p><p>On certain days of the year, traditionally in spring and late summer, special devotions were held before the Enma figures in some regions, on which the temple halls were opened and the faithful could view the images that were otherwise kept closed.<\/p><p>Such <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the customs handed down within a community.\" tabindex=\"0\">customs<\/span> show that Enma-o was not merely a literary or doctrinal figure but an object of lived worship and fear.<\/p><p>In modern Japanese culture Enma-o has remained extraordinarily present. He appears in manga, anime, video games, and films, sometimes as a terrifying antagonist, sometimes in a comic register as an overwhelmed bureaucrat of the underworld.<\/p><p>This popular-cultural treatment gladly takes up precisely the bureaucratic side of the figure, the king who runs a vast otherworldly administrative apparatus with files, stamps, and subordinates.<\/p><p>This persistence is instructive for religious studies. Enma-o has accomplished the transition from religious teaching figure to general cultural figure without losing his core. Even in humorous treatment he remains the one who decides on the right and wrong of a life that has been lived.<\/p><p>The figure shows how deeply the Buddhist notion of a judgment of the dead has seeped into Japanese culture, and how it can be retold again and again, from the temple hall to the children&#8217;s book.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further links<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/yama\/\">Yama, the Vedic predecessor<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/yama-judge-of-the-dead\/\">Yama (Buddhism), the direct predecessor<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/yanluo\/\">Yanluo Wang, the Chinese predecessor<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/yeomra\/\">Yeomra, the Korean counterpart<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/buddhism\/\">Buddhist tradition, the overall context<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Research literature<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><ul><li><span data-nosnippet>Sekiguchi, Makiko: <em>The Cult of King Yama in Medieval Japan<\/em>. Brill, Leiden 2013.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Teiser, Stephen F.: <em>The Scripture on the Ten Kings and the Making of Purgatory in Medieval Chinese Buddhism<\/em>. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1994.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Teiser, Stephen F.: <em>The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">Ghost<\/span> Festival in Medieval China<\/em>. Princeton UP, Princeton 1988.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Bock, Felicia: <em>Engi-Shiki: Procedures of the Engi Era<\/em>. Sophia University, Tokyo 1972.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Picken, Stuart D. B.: <em>Essentials of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The indigenous religion of Japan, shaped by the worship of the kami.\" tabindex=\"0\">Shinto<\/span><\/em>. Greenwood, Westport 1994.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Lopez, Donald S. (ed.): <em>Buddhism in Practice<\/em>. Princeton UP, Princeton 1995.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Enma O, god of the Japanese tradition Enma O is a god of the Japanese tradition. Judge of the damned, ruler of the Buddhist hell. GodJapanDeity of the dead Table of contents Enma O At a glance: Enma O Enma-\u014d is the East Asian form of the Indian Yama, who came to the Tendai school [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5298,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Enma-O judge of the dead","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Enma-\u014d: Judge of the Dead in Japanese Buddhism","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Ruler of the Japanese hell Jigoku, the administration of karma, and the judgment of the dead in the Buddhist mythology of Japan.","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_angie_page":false,"gefaehrdungsstufe":"","wesen_kultur":"","wesen_klasse":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[79,86,92],"class_list":["post-5297","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultures","category-gods","category-japan"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized 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