Name Meaning
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.
