Emma - o, King and Judge of Hell
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Object Label
Buddhists believe in reincarnation, but many schools of Buddhism hold that a sinful person is punished for a period of time between death and rebirth in one of several levels of Hell. Emma-ō, a powerful and fearsome figure, decides the fate of the deceased, sometimes singly and sometimes as part of a group of ten Hell Judges. The image of Emma-ō is a focus for prayers from the living, who ask for leniency for their recently departed loved ones.
Caption
Emma - o, King and Judge of Hell, 16th century. Wood with gesso and traces of polychrome and inlaid glass eyes., 19 x 18 1/4 x 13 1/4 in. (48.3 x 46.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. George Mann, 79.277. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 79.277_front_PS6.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Title
Emma - o, King and Judge of Hell
Date
16th century
Period
Muromachi Period
Geography
Place made: Japan
Medium
Wood with gesso and traces of polychrome and inlaid glass eyes.
Classification
Dimensions
19 x 18 1/4 x 13 1/4 in. (48.3 x 46.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. George Mann
Accession Number
79.277
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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