Ten Kings of the Underworld
Ten courts, and many ways of telling their story.
Chinese Underworld Atlas
Atlas
Browse one volume at a time, or search across the whole collection.
24 entries
Behind the courts and ledgers.
The Ten Courts, judges’ offices and traditions of the hells.
Institutions
Judgment and order3
Institutions
Eighteen hell scenes18
Tongue-Pulling Hell
Words return as echoes, revealing the weight of speech.
Scissors Hell
An old pair of scissors opens the knots between story and society.
Iron Tree Hell
Iron branches entangle the bonds that malice has divided.
Mirror of Deeds Hell
In a silent mirror, concealed actions appear again.
Steamer Hell
Steam circles an old basket; rumours also need examination.
Copper Pillar Hell
Firelight on copper carries an old warning about harm.
Mountain of Blades Hell
Blade-like peaks turn a mountain path into a warning about life.
Ice Mountain Hell
Frost-bound peaks reveal another language of the underworld.
Cauldron Hell
A great old cauldron holds a familiar moral imagination.
Ox Pit Hell
A herd guards the valley, bringing overlooked lives into the story.
Crushing Stone Hell
A suspended stone recalls stories of harm to the vulnerable.
Mortar Hell
A grain beside an old mortar recalls the labour behind food.
Blood Pool Hell
A red pool reflects old beliefs that require historical context.
Untimely Death Hell
City lights offer a place for stories of lives interrupted.
Zhexing Hell
An old penal name frames stories about respect for the dead.
Volcano Hell
Red mountains and cloud-flame turn terrain into a moral image.
Millstone Hell
A turning mill tells stories of taking, labour and obligation.
Saw Hell
At the directory's end, distinguish saw imagery from Avici.
Institutions
