Jeoseung Saja

Common card · No. 459347

In Korean mythology, Jeoseung Saja (Korean: 저승사자; lit. 'Netherworld Emissary') or Jeoseung Chasa (Korean: 저승차사) are psychopomps who guide the souls of the dead to the afterlife. Like Yeomna Daewang (Korean: 염라대왕; Hanja: 閻羅大王), Jeoseung Sajas are both Buddhist divinities, who were adopted by Korean Shamanism and eventually became associated with Korean beliefs not found in Buddhism. Jeoseung Sajas are depicted as a stern and ruthless bureaucrat in Yeomna Daewang's service. A psychopomp, he escorts all—good or evil—from the land of the living to the netherworld when the time comes. One of the representative names of Jeoseung Saja is Gangnim Doryeong, who guides the soul to the entrance of the underworld. According to legend, he always carries Jeokpaeji (적패지; 赤牌旨), the list with the names of the dead written on a red cloth. When he calls the name of Jeokpaeji three times, the soul leaves the body and follows him inevitably. In Korean shamanism tradition, Jeoseung Sajas are typically depicted...

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