The Juo were regarded as an awesome existence because they decided whether the dead should be sent to Jigoku (Hell, one of the posthumous realms advocated by Buddhism) and presided over the Rokudo-rinne (transmigration in the six posthumous realms advocated by Buddhism) in light of the seriousness of the karma belonging to the dead person.
十王は死者の罪の多寡を鑑み、地獄(仏教)へ送ったり、六道への輪廻を司るなど畏怖の対象であった。