Hell Scroll (地獄草紙, jigokuzōji) is a scroll depicting seven out of the sixteen lesser hells presented in Kisekyō ("Sutra of the World Arising"). Six of the paintings are accompanied by text, which all begin with the phrase "There is yet another hell", following a description of what the sinners depicted did to end up in this particular hell.
| Hell Scroll | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Unknown |
| Year | 12th century |
| Type | Color on paper |
| Dimensions | 26.5 cm × 453.9 cm (10.4 in × 178.7 in) |
| Location | Nara National Museum, Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan |
The seven hells depicted are:
- the Hell of Excrement (ja: 屎糞所, しふんしょ)
- the Hell of Measures (函量所, かんりょうしょ)
- the Hell of the Iron Mortar (鉄磑所, てつがいしょ)
- the Hell of the Flaming Rooster (鶏地獄, とりじごく)
- the Hell of the Black Sand Cloud (黒雲沙, こくうんしゃ)
- the Hell of Pus and Blood (膿血所, のうけつしょ)
- the Hell of Foxes and Wolves (狐狼地獄 狼野干泥梨, ころうじごく ろうやかんないり)
It is considered likely that the scroll corresponds to the Paintings of the Six Paths, commissioned by Emperor Goshirakawa in the 12th century. This handscroll was preserved in Daishō-in in Higashiokubo, Tokyo until the Meiji period, when it came into the hands of the Hara family of Kanagawa, later ending up in the possession of the Japanese government.[1]
The whole scroll
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See also
editExternal links
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References
edit- ^ "Jigoku-zōshi". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. Archived from the original on 25 August 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
"Hell Scroll". Emuseum. National Institutes for Cultural Heritage. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
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