Gate deities of the underworld

Okay, so there's this place called the underworld which is like a big, giant space where people believe that the spirits of dead people go. It's kind of like a parallel world to where we live.

Now, imagine that there are different parts of the underworld that are separated from one another, kind of like how different rooms in a house are separated by doors.

The gate deities are like little helpers or guardians who stand at the doors between these different parts of the underworld. They're kind of like "gatekeepers" who make sure that only certain spirits are able to pass through the doors.

Each gate deity has their own name and specific job to do. For example, one gate deity might be responsible for guarding the entrance to the realm of the dead where people who have been really cruel or dishonest in life end up. Another gate deity might be responsible for guarding the entrance to the realm of the dead where people who have been good in life but didn't do anything really special end up.

The idea of gate deities is important because people believe that when someone dies, their spirit needs to pass through these different gates to get to where it needs to go. The gate deities make sure that the right spirits go to the right place, and that no one sneaks through who isn't supposed to.