Yánluó

Yánluó, commonly rendered as Yanluo Wang, is a mythological figure in Chinese folklore and Buddhism identified with Yama, the king of the underworld. The name represents the Chinese form of the Hindu-Buddhist god of death, and he functions as a principal judge in the afterlife. In Chinese tradition, Yanluo is associated with Diyu, the realm of the dead, where deeds from life are weighed.

The concept entered China through Buddhist texts and gradually merged with Daoist and folk beliefs. Over time, Yanluo became the chief judge or one of the senior figures in a bureaucratic underworld court. In some traditions he presides over the process of judgment at the gates of Diyu, while in others he occupies a central throne among the ten Yama kings who administer various hells and punishments.

Iconography commonly portrays Yanluo as a stern, formidable official in imperial robes, often holding a seal, a staff, or a ritual tablet. He is sometimes shown seated on a throne or standing at the head of a court, surrounded by other underworld officials who carry out punishments suited to each soul’s earthly deeds.

Culturally, Yanluo appears in classical literature, religious illustrations, temple artworks, and popular storytelling. He is referenced in journeys to the underworld and in moral tales that emphasize karmic retribution. In East Asia, his counterpart is Enma in Japan and a similar Yama figure in Korea, reflecting shared influences from Indian and Buddhist cosmology.

Variations exist regionally regarding his exact role and the extent of his authority within Diyu and the Ten Kings of Hell.