Hell -Part8

The influence the two writers have exerted on the religious life of their　 times and in subsequent centuries is great in both cases. Illustrated copies　 of the Inferno had an enormous influence which extended to public art, and　 many Last Judgements commissioned for cathedrals reflected Dante’s　 invention. Similarly Genshin’s ‘Ojoyoshu’, in the many centuries since its　 first appearance in the latter part of the tenth century, has been published　 in countless editions, many graphically illustrated. The macabre and　 imaginative work struck a chord with the people, whose minds had been turned　 toward the Buddhist ideas of retribution and reincarnation by the wars and　 chaos of the times. Many Jigoku Zoshi (“hell scrolls”) were produced, series　 of scrolls picturing the different types of hell. Though somewhat revolting　 the scrolls are also tragically impressive in their Dantesque grandeur. In　 addition to its influence on art, Genshin’s ‘Ojoyoshu’ had a profound　 influence on Japanese Buddhism, and made Amidaism the supreme way of　 salvation in Japan. The dominance of Amida Buddhism, which makes central the　 Buddha Amitabha and salvation in his Western Paradise, or the Pure Land, is　 a result of the popularity of Genshin’s work.