Panguan

The Registrar of the Dead

Underworld judge with ledger and brush who fixes each soul’s fate and span.

The Registrar of the Dead is the underworld official who keeps the ledgers of life, the most famous being Cui Jue, known from Journey to the West. With the register of births and deaths in one hand and his judgment brush in the other, he fixes each soul’s span and destination, supplying King Yama with the evidence of every life. His portrait hangs in city god temples as a reminder that the books are always kept.