Group of figures
Jūō (the Ten Kings)
十王
The Jūō are ten kings who appear in the belief that they decide the world in which the dead will next be born. The dead are said to be judged in turn every seven days from the seventh day to the forty-ninth day, and then on the hundredth day, at one year and at three years. King Enma is also one of these ten kings.
This introduction is based on materials from Shōhōin (Tobi Fudō). It is summarized within the scope of the beliefs and traditions those materials convey, and does not present explanations or customs common to all schools, shrines, and temples.
English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む
Ten kings who judge where the departed will go
The Jūō are ten kings who appear in the belief that they decide the world in which the dead will next be born. The dead are said to be judged in turn every seven days from the seventh day to the forty-ninth day, and then on the hundredth day, at one year and at three years. King Enma is also one of these ten kings.
Source: 奈良国立博物館
Tales of the underworld and memorial rites from China
The Nara National Museum explains that paintings of the Ten Kings survive in China from around the tenth century, and that Buddhist paintings of the Song and Yuan periods were also brought to Japan. This belief spread as a view of the afterlife formed in China came together with Buddhist memorial rites; it does not mean that Buddhism as a whole gives one uniform account of what happens after death.
Source: 奈良国立博物館
Related kami and buddhas
Sources (in Japanese)
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：十王」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：目次」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 奈良国立博物館「十王図」（2026-10-15 確認）
- 浄土宗「新纂浄土宗大辞典：十王」（2026-10-15 確認）