Gods And Goddesses: Daikoku

Daikoku is one of the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan, being a deity of wealth, darkness, the household, kitchen, trade, the earth, agriculture, rice and farmers. Easily recognizable as he wears a flat black hat and carries a sack and hammer. It is not uncommonly for Daikoku to be depicted standing on bales of rice.

Another of the Seven Lucky Gods, Ebisu, is often paired up with Daikoku and as such, if the two are not depicted alone or with the other Seven Lucky Gods the two will be most likely depicted together. This stems from Ebisu being the son of Daikoku. Rats happen to be the animal associated with Daikoku, and is at times seen in depictions of the deity.

Gods And Goddesses: Bishamon

Bishamonten, or simply Bishamon, is the god of treasure, wealth, warriors and war. He is best known as the god of war and is a protector of Dharma. Due to being the god of wealth and treasure it shouldn’t be a surprise that Bishamon is one of Japan’s Seven Lucky Gods. Symbolically, black is the colour of Bishamon and his season is of winter. As such, he is known as the “Black Warrior”.

Bishamon is also the god dealing with defence against foreign invaders and of healing, whom is known to reward followers with riches, good fortune and even children. Bishamon can be identified as wearing armour and often depicted standing atop of a demon or two, although may be shown with a halberd, lance or baton. He often is depicted with a spear in his right hand and a pagoda in his left.

Bishamon is also considered a deva, with it being pronounced “ten” in Japanese and is at times referred to as Bishamon-ten. He is also the chief of a group known as the Four Heavenly Kings, and is Guardian of the North. At times, Bishamon is called Tamonten (meaning “listening to many teachings”) due to being viewed as a guardian of the places of where the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, preached.

Gods And Goddesses: Ebisu

Ebisu is one of the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan, also called Yebisu or Hiruko. He is the god of fishermen, good fortune, commerce, good luck, merchants and honest labour. His virtue is said to be of fair dealing. Ebisu is also known to hold a red snapper (a fish symbolizing luck and congratulation), but also known of often have a fishing rod in his right hand while a folding fan in the other.

Ebisu himself is fat, bearded and a often smiling fishermen, and a rather popular god out of the Seven Lucky Gods who is actually a protector of the health of small children, as well as the patron of tradesmen and fishermen. His image can be seen frequency in shops in Japan and in some Shinto shrines Ebisu is identified with Hiru-ko (the misconceived firstborn son of the creator couple Izanagi and Izanami).

Ebisu has a festival which is celebrated on the twentieth day of the tenth month while the other gods gather at a place known as The Grand Shrine of Izumo. Reason why Ebisu is not at the Grand Shine himself is due to poor hearing, as he doesn’t hear the summons and still available for worship thanks to this.

Ebisu is also paired with another of the Seven Lucky Gods frequently, Daikokuten, who are said to be father and son or master and apprentice by some.

Laughing Buddha

The Laughing Buddha, also known ad Budai, Hotei and Fat Buddha, is often mistakenly thought as Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism.  The Laughing Buddha is thought to have originated from a monk named Qieci, from Fenghua (now the province of Zhejiang), an eccentric man who was much loved.

Stories of Qieci is spread across China and eventually become known under a name which means “hempen sack”, Budai. He carries a sack full of goodies such as sweets for children and often pictured with children. The Laughing Buddha represents happiness, generosity and wealth while also a protector of children, the poor and the weak. Often you can see the statue of the Laughing Buddha these days near the entrance of Chinese Buddhist temples and it is folk practice to rub his belly for good luck.

Interestingly, in Chinese Taoism the Laughing Buddha he seen as a god of abundance and in Japan he is called Hotei and is one of the Seven Lucky Gods of Shinto. The Laughing Buddha is also referred as the patron of restaurateurs, fortune tellers and bartenders.

A couple tales tell how the Laughing Buddha became fat. One is that he was once so handsome a man wanted him as a wife, so he made himself fat. Another tale says angels and men thought extremely highly of his looks and the Laughing Buddha saw this as inappropriate so he made himself fat.

Laughing Buddha statues often depict a jolly man carrying quite an array of items and in Feng Shui Laughing Buddha statues are often used and what the Laughing Buddha carries may be something you want to gain more of, so keep an eye out. A pot of gold and gold ingots are of wealth while a sack abundance, maybe even a gourd which is a symbol of good health and longevity.

If you practice Feng Shui it is said there are several places that make a good position to place a Laughing Buddha statue, from what I heard the best places include facing the main door, in the living room, on a deck and either an office table or reception desk.

His birthday is said to be on the first day of Chinese New Year