Prolific Meiji-period artist Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889), well-known in the West for his darkly humorous illustrations, was commissioned by Scottish surgeon and Japanese art collector William Anderson (1842-1900) to produce a large number of comic paintings in the 1870s. Anderson's collection, which today forms the core of the Japanese paintings at the British Museum, included the handful of fanciful depictions of hell shown below. (Click the "+" under each image to enlarge.)
Torture in Hell [+]
Enma's Judgment [+]
Protest to Enma [+]
Burning at the Stake [+]
Monster Assault [+]
Pandora's Box [+]
Bashing a Monster into the Ground [+]
Monster Battle [+]
Hawk Counterattack [+]
Retribution: Animals vs. Man [+]
Retribution: Mice vs. Cat [+]
Darin
Wow, these are amazing. Thanks for sharing.
[]robot makes music
I guess William Anderson gets the dubious title of first western otaku?
Japwoodcutimation!
[]reesan
Awesome! Amazing sketches.
[]bakkanekko
awesome sketch! tho, they're a little bit disturbing, but I like them! <3
[]McAlpine
Learn something new everyday.
[]Ryan
These are great pictures, ones which I've never seen before. Great find!
[]mark
wow its awsome......
[]lwin
Realy great , quite disturbing times did the artist see i reckon.
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