Datsue-ba (奪衣婆)

Name Meaning

Overview

Datsue-ba (奪衣婆) literally means "Old Woman Who Takes Clothes." She is a gatekeeper figure in Japanese Buddhist afterlife beliefs, punishing the dead by taking their clothes and weighing their sins.

• Datsu = To take or strip
• E = Clothes
• Ba = Old woman

Origin

• Stemming from Buddhist mythology, Datsue-ba resides at the Sanzu River, the boundary between life and death.
• Appears in various regional depictions of the afterlife across Japan.
• Often paired with her male counterpart, Ken’e-ō, who hangs the garments on a tree to weigh sins.

Appearance

• A haggard old woman with a fearsome face and long, bony fingers.
• Wears simple robes, sometimes ragged, and sits near a twisted tree or riverside stone.
• May carry a staff or be seen clutching garments from souls.

Behavior & Myths

• Strips clothing from the souls of the dead as they try to cross the river to the afterlife.
• If a soul has no clothes, she strips their skin instead.
• Works in tandem with Ken’e-ō to judge the weight of their sins and assign punishments.

Symbolism

• Represents moral reckoning and the inescapable judgment of the afterlife.
• A cautionary figure reminding people to live a virtuous life.
• Commonly depicted in Buddhist art near the entrance to hell or the Sanzu River.