Two different kinds of hell exist beneath the earth. The first is a hell of flame; the fire of this hell is like molten iron, which ignites charcoal, burns fields, and consumes all things. To burn sinners in such a fire is simple, exactly like throwing paper or wood chips into a bonfire. Those who commit arson-robbery, who attack their enemies with fire, or women whose hearts burn with jealousy fall into this flaming hell and must suffer the intense heat.

The second kind of hell is a hell of ice. There are eight hells of ice as explained by the Nirvana Sutra: “Eight hells of ice and cold exist. They are the Ahaha Hell, the Atata Hell, the Arara Hell, the Ababa Hell, the Ubara Hell, the Hazuma Hell, the Kumozu Hell, and the Fundari Hell.” The names of the eight hells of ice and cold arise from sinners’ different screams of pain and their different skin colors caused by the cold. The bitter cold of these hells is like the north wind of Lake Suwa in Shinano Province (Nagano Prefecture) or on Mount Tateyama in Etchū Province (Toyama Prefecture). Imagine the intense cold which causes the birds atop Mount Hakusan of Kaga Province (Ishikawa Prefecture) to huddle with their wings folded. Imagine the lonely cold of the widow’s feet. Imagine the desperate cold of the pheasant, forced down and surrounded by snow. Having to endure the cold, the sinners shiver with their chins chattering, and they say, “ahaha, atata, arara.” The cold causes the sinners’ skins to turn red, a condition called “red lotus” or “great red lotus.”

Those who fall into this hell are those who steal clothes, or who warm themselves while their parents or teachers suffer from the cold in this life.

Otā-dono Nyōbō Go-henji, A Response to the Wife of Lord, Nyonin Gosho, Letters Addressed to Female Followers, Page 144-146