is an old man who sits at the edge of the Sanzu River

Sanzu River

The Sanzu River , or River of Three Crossings, is a Japanese Buddhist tradition and religious belief similar to the River Styx...

 in the Buddhist underworld

Underworld

The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...

. When a soul of an adult arrives at the river, Datsue-ba

Datsue-ba

is an old woman who sits at the edge of the Sanzu River in the Buddhist underworld. At the river, she has two primary duties.According to Japanese Buddhist folklore , when a child dies its soul has to cross the Sanzu River...

forces the sinners to take off their clothes, and Keneō hangs these clothes on a riverside branch that bends to reflect the gravity of the sins. Various levels of punishment are then performed by the pair. For those who steal, for example, Datsue-ba breaks their fingers, and together with Keneō, she ties the head of the sinner to the sinner's feet.