China / Tibet: Thangka painting of the King of Hell Shinje (Yama), mid-17th-18th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

In East Asian mythology, Yama is a dharmapala (wrathful god) and King of Hell. It is his duty to judge the dead and rule over the various hells and purgatories, presiding over the cycle of samsara (cyclic, circuitous change). Yama has spread from being a Hindu god to finding roles in Buddhism as well as in Chinese, Korean and Japanese mythology.

Yama's role in Theravada Buddhism is vague and not well defined, though he is still a caretaker of hell and the dead. He judges those who die to determine if they are to be reborn to earth, to the heavens or to the hells. Sometimes there are more than one Yama, each presiding over one of the distinct hells. In Tibetan Buddhism, Yama is seen as a guardian of spiritual practice, and regarded with horror for his role in the cycle of death and rebirth.

In Chinese mythology, and similar stories in Korea and Japan, he is primarily known as either Yanluo or King Yan, and is the god of death and overseer of the Ten Kings of Hell. He is portrayed as a large man with bulging eyes, a long beard and a scowling red face. He is both ruler and judge of the underworld, and is always found alongside his two guardians, Ox-Head and Horse-Face. Those spirits who do good are rewarded, while those who have sinned are punished and tortured.

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