Images of the Ten Kings of Hell (Juo) : Their Introduction and Influence in Medieval Japan

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This research project concerns images of the Ten Kings of Hell (Juo), analyzing the process by which this foreign belief became nativized in medieval Japan. To illuminate this issue, I conducted a survey of various paintings as well as related historical documents. During this research period, I examined a total of nine works and collected materials such as photographs for other examples.During the course of investigation, the prevalence of honjibutsu in Japanese paintings of the Ten Kings came to my attention, and I began analyzing the results of my survey from this particular angle.I discovered that the earlier the work, the more variation there was in the honjibutsu combination. There also was the tendency for Dainichi Nyorai to appear as the honjibutsu in many early cases.Moreover, for the period between the middle of the 13th and the 14th centuries, when the nativization of the surviving examples accelerated dramatically, I examined temple documents, diaries, and other records to analyze the usage of the Ten Kings images through concrete ritual occasions in which they were employed.As a result of my investigation, it became clear that the combinations of the honjibutsu within Japanese paintings of the Ten Kings came to be established through Buddhist memorial services sponsored by the imperial court and the bakufu.Portions of this research have been made public in publications such as "The Paintings of the Six Realms at Shojuraigoji Temple" (Chuo Koron bijutsu shuppan, 2007).