Description
Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive study in English of the Japanese hell figure Datsueba explores her evolution since her eleventh-century emergence as a terrifying old woman who strips the clothes of the dead in the afterworld. Drawing widely on literature, art, and worship practices, the author reveals how the creative utilization of Datsueba’s key attributes—including a marker of borders, a keeper of cloth, and an elderly woman—transformed her into a guardian of the human journey through life and death and shaped a figure that is diverse and multifaceted, yet also strikingly recognizable across the centuries.
Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgements List of Figures Introduction 1 Toward a More Integrated Picture 2 Theoretical Framework, Methodology, and Primary Sources 3 Structure of the Monograph 1 Conceptions of Hell in Asia: Related Texts and Imagery 1 The Six Realms and Early Representations of Hell 2 Chinese Adaptations and Visions of Hell 3 Female Deities Related to Death: Indian Goddesses, Meng Po, and Datsueba 4 Concluding Remarks 2 Datsueba in Religious and Popular Texts 1 Prototypes for Datsueba 2 Datsueba in Accounts of the Ten Kings of Hell 3 Datsueba-like Figures in Popular Stories 4 Concluding Remarks 3 Visual Representations of Datsueba: From Hell Scenes to the Popular Sphere 1 Pictorial Representations of Hell Prior to Datsueba 2 The Emergence of Datsueba in the Landscape of Hell 3 Standardization and Modification of Datsueba Iconography 4 Concluding Remarks 4 Datsueba in Pilgrimage Mandalas 1 Overview of Pilgrimage Mandalas 2 Datsueba in Ise sankei mandara: Marking the Border between Sacred and Impure 3 Datsueba in the Zenkōji sankei mandara: Bridging the Underworld and Pure Land 4 Datsueba in Tateyama mandara: Manifestation of the Mountain Goddess Ubason and Symbol of the Entrance to Hell 5 Concluding Remarks 5 Venerating Datsueba: Beliefs and Worship Practices 1 Sculptural Images of Datsueba: A Brief Overview 2 Datsueba as a Marker of the Otherworld 3 The Symbolism of Cloth in Worship Practices Devoted to Datsueba 4 Datsueba, Other Old Female Figures, and Buddhist Attitudes toward Women 5 Concluding Remarks Conclusion Chinese and Japanese Character Glossary Bibliography Index
