Detail of a Yaksha Guard, Ten Judgements of Hell

The figure is a demon-like attendant typically found in Buddhist depictions of the afterlife. He has a pale blue, weathered complexion, pointed horns or hair crests, and prominent ears adorned with rings. He wears a loose white, cape-like shawl tied at the chest over a vibrant red robe, with visible undergarments and sturdy footwear. His hands are obscured, though he appears to hold a staff or implement on the left; his stance is bent at the waist, suggesting active patrolling or waiting in a hell court.

This figure is a 'gaol-guard' or hell-beings (hell-yaksha) found in the 'Ten Kings of Hell' cycle, which reflects the syncretism of Buddhist concepts of karma and Chinese bureaucratic traditions of the underworld afterlife. The iconography is specifically associated with the 'Sutra of the Ten Kings' (Shiwang jing).