Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

Enma: the King of Hell

Size: 29.0cm by 15.5cm (11.42 in by 6.10 in) | Enlargement | Shipping Code: [L] ?

Designer: Unknown

Era: Taisho | Currency: $ / £ / €

Price: ¥ 8,000$ 64.00£ 47.00€ 54.50 [Item has been sold]

Description: Part of a monthly subscription series of three woodblock prints issued by the Yamato Hanga Kanko-kai in the 1920s.


The print portrays Emmaten, one of the Twelve Devas in Buddhist mythology and the guardian deity of the southern direction, known for his protective role against illness and calamity. Seated atop a water buffalo, he is depicted with his left leg draped down and his right arm bent, extending his right palm outward towards the viewer.

In his left hand, he holds a dandajo staff, adorned with a finial shaped like a human head framed by a crescent moon. Later known as Emma-o, the king of hell in the context of the Ten Kings of Hell, Emmaten embodies dual aspects of both protection and judgment.

Note: this print was made back in the era when Japan's industries were opening up to Western ideas and influences, and used what would these days be called a 'mixed media' approach in its creation.

Some parts of the image were put onto the paper with the collotype printing technique, based on photography from the original design. This part of the process would include registration marks, and once the collotype was printed, the paper would be trimmed to those marks, and other areas of the design then printed by hand from woodblocks in the traditional manner.

There are some traces of glue removal at the top of the backside.

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