"Mandala of the Ten Worlds of Contemplation"

From the end of the Muromachi period onwards, women called "Kumano Bikuni" or "Illustrated Bikuni" appeared among these people who had become common in lowly professions. When they distributed Kumano bulls and talismans and collected rice, they would give improvised explanations to women and children using the "Kanjin Jika Mandala," commonly called "Pictures of Kumano" or "Pictures of Hell and Paradise." Among the early modern sources, which are rich in both literature and paintings, there are some that vividly convey the artistic style and manner of the explanations (such as "Tōkaidō Meishokki," "Endō Tsukan," and "Kagomimi"). This painting clearly depicts the various aspects of the six realms of life, focusing on the hells associated with women, such as the Pond of Blood Hell, the Hell of Barren Women, and the River of Sacred Stones, and is notable for its connection to the Stairs of Life paintings that were brought to Europe, not to mention the Five Realms of Birth and Death paintings from India and Tibet.

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "Contemplation Mandala of the Ten Worlds" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…　室町末期以降，このような通俗化した賤業の者たちの中に〈熊野比丘尼（びくに）〉とか〈絵解比丘尼〉などと呼ばれる女性が登場する。熊野牛玉（くまのごおう）や護符類を配り籾集めをするおりおり，俗に〈熊野の絵〉〈地獄極楽図〉と称する《観心十界曼荼羅（かんじんじつかいまんだら）》を用いて女子供を相手に即興性に富んだ絵解きを行ったが，文献･絵画ともに豊富な近世資料中には，絵解きの芸態や口ぶりを生き生きと伝えるものもある(《東海道名所記》《艶道通鑑》《籠耳》など)。この絵は，血の池地獄･不産女（うまずめ）地獄･賽の河原など女性にまつわる地獄を中心に六道（ろくどう）の諸相をつまびらかに描いていて，インドやチベットに伝わる《五趣生死輪図（ごしゆしようじりんず）》は言うまでもなく，ヨーロッパに伝来する《人生の階段図》との連関も注目される。…

※「《観心十界曼荼羅》」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報