How long have Beppu’s hot springs been called “hells”?
The word jigoku (hell) has likely been used to describe Beppu’s scalding hot spring pools since the Heian period (794–1185), although no record specifies the term’s exact origin. Experts believe the word jigoku is derived from the Buddhist term Ennetsu-jigoku (burning hell), one of the eight hot hells in the Buddhist tradition. In the centuries since, jigoku has often been used as a general term for places resembling a common image of hell, with hot gases, scalding water, and the like.
The Nihon sandai jitsuroku (Historical Record of Japan over Three Imperial Reigns) states that Beppu’s Mt. Tsurumi had a major eruption in 867, releasing hot gases that took many lives. The tenth-century Ojoyoshu (Essentials of Rebirth in the Pure Land), a widely read Buddhist text, included vivid illustrations of the Buddhist hells, establishing a shared visual vocabulary throughout Japan. These two influences likely linked Beppu’s hells and the Buddhist concept of hell in people’s minds, leading to the jigoku naming used in Beppu today.