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Emma-O 

Japanese Buddhist Ruler & Judge of the Dead

EMMA-O:  King Emma-O is the first father of humankind in Eastern religious tradition, the approximate equivalent of Christianity's Adam.  Also the first man to dies, Emma-O became the ruler of the dead and master of hell.  He was eventually incorporated into the Japanese Buddhist pantheon and is considered the keeper of afterlife justice and retribution.  He has been called the ruler of BUDDHIST HELL and is usually portrayed wearing a judge's robes.

According to the legends, death initiates the "journey of intermediate existence," a melancholy trip across a huge, deserted plain during which a person must confront his or her regrets and mistakes.  While on this trek, evil souls are snatched by infernal guardians and borne away to the gates of the land of the dead.

At the entrance to the underworld is Shide-no-yama, the Mountain of Death.  It is a steep cliff veiled in mist that the soul must claw its way up.  After entering the gate, the soul then faces Mitsuss-kawa, the River of the Three Passages.  The first is a small stream for those who have committed only minor offenses in life.  Over the second river is a bridge of precious metals that the saved pass on their way to paradise.  The third is a gulf of monsters and fierce storms that must be forged by the worst sinners. 

Once past the rivers, the soul comes to Sanzu-no-baba, the Old Woman of the River of Three Ways.  The ugly crone strips souls and hangs their clothes from the limbs of a dead tree.  Then the Gozu Mezu, a legion of guards with heads of oxen and bodies of stallions, seize the soul and present it to Emma-O.  He holds a mirror and a staff to help him discern the truth and is aided by the Gushojin, two secretaries who keep records on everyone's deeds.  (In some versions, the Gushojin are represented by two disembodied heads.)   One sees all secret sins; the other smells evil in a person's soul.  Some tales claim that Emma-O is also helped by the Juo, kings who each specialize in a specific type of sin.

Emma-O forces the spirit to look into his mirror, an enchanted glass that reflects the merits of each soul.  After this, the underworld deity reflects on the soul's worth, then assigns it to one of the eight sections of hell to purge its evil.  He could also assign the spirit a "destiny" as a phantom, an animal, a titan, or a god.  Thus the soul would return to the course of the transmigration. 

Originally, Emma-O was an indifferent overseer who kept eternal watch over departed souls.  This notion, however, was in conflict with the Buddhist belief in reincarnation, so Emma-O become a torturer who punishes souls before returning them to another incarnation.  Over time, his realm became increasingly associated with pain, agony, and vicious torment.  Emma-O evolved into a red-faced, angry overlord who delights in inflicting anguish upon his tenants.  He took up residence in the lowest circle of hell and tortures the worst sinners.  Agonies in his realm include bludgeoning the damned, forcing them to swallow hot coals, impaling them on spears, and hurling them into a lake of fire. 

Emma-O is often associated with YAMA, another underworld deity of eastern legend.  Depictions of both deities can be found in CHURCH ART AND ARCHITECTURE of the Far East.  (o)

Resource List - all entries are taken verbatim from the original source:

(o) "The Encyclopedia of Hell."  Miriam Van Scott.  St. Martin's Press.  ©1998