The Shichifukujin, or Seven Lucky Gods
Wednesday, 5 September 2007
My best friend, with whom I drank and laughed away my teenage years, moved to Japan a few years ago and is currently experiencing a run of rather bad luck in the land of the rising sun. In my quest to find a remedy for his misfortune I discovered the Shichifukujin, seven gods who control different aspects of happiness. These comical characters have been popular since the Edo period when the monk Tenkai brought the seven separate deities together into a group to symbolise what he considered to be the essential virtues of man: candour (Ebisu), fortune (Daikokuten), amiability (Benzaiten), magnanimity (Hotei), popularity (Fukurokuju), longevity (Juroujin) and dignity (Bishamonten).
Ebisu is the only one of the Shichifukujin to originate from Japan. He is the god of candour, wealth, fishermen, the morning sun, fair business practices and young children and is usually depicted holding a large red sea bream, a symbol of good fortune. He was originally named Hiruko ('leech child') and was the third son of the Shinto gods Izanagi and Izanami, the progenitors of Japan. Due to his mother's transgression during the marriage ritual he was cursed to be born without bones and struggled to survive through his first years. Presumably due to his parents’ inability to cope with him, Ebisu was cast out into the sea in a boat of reeds and was eventually washed ashore to be cared for and raised by Ebisu Saburo. Young Ebisu eventually developed a skeletal structure and, though crippled and slightly deaf, evolved into the god Ebisu. Despite his hardships, he is known as the laughing god and is always pictured with a grin on his face.
Daikokuten evolved from the Indian god Shiva and was brought to Japan from China in the 9th century. He is the god of the kitchen, fortune, wealth, agriculture, millers and farmers and is usually depicted standing or seated on bales of rice with a treasure-filled sack over his shoulder and a mallet in his hand. The mallet can magically produce anything Daikokuten desires when he strikes it and he is said to grant the wishes of believers if they tap a symbolic mallet on the ground three times before making a wish. He is often picture with Ebisu and they are generally considered to be father (Daikokuten) and son (Ebisu).
Benzaiten's origins lie in the Indian goddess Sarasvati and she arrived in Japan from China in the 6th century, soon after the arrival of Buddhism. She is the only woman among the Shichifukujin and is the goddess of love, amiability, music, fine arts, eloquence, water and wisdom. She is also the patron of students, artists and geishas. Benzaiten is usually depicted sitting on a lotus leaf, carrying a Japanese mandolin or Biwa and surrounded by snakes. Occasionally she is seen with multiple arms to reflect her need to perform the various arts simultaneously. According to the Buddhist monk Kokei, Benzaiten is the third daughter of the dragon-king of Munetsuchi, the lake that lies at the centre of the world in ancient Buddhist cosmology. Another legend states that Benzaiten descended from heaven to marry a dragon that was terrorising the island of Enoshima, thus putting an end to its rampages.
Hotei is probably the most widely recognised of the seven gods outside of Japan. He is a smiling, bald man with a round belly, more commonly known as the Laughing Buddha, and is usually depicted carrying a large bag, said to contain a never ending supply of food or treasure. Hotei’s large belly should not be thought of as a result of over indulgence, but rather as an indication of his great life force or chi. He is the god of happiness, laughter, popularity and magnanimity and the patron of fortunetellers, children, bartenders and restaurateurs. Hotei is the only one of the Shichifukujin to be based on a real person, the eccentric Chinese monk Pu-tai, and is also thought to be the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva Maitreya.
Fukurokuju's origins lie in a Taoist myth of a hermit who could perform miracles and was said to embody the celestial powers of the South Pole star. He is the god of wisdom, popularity, wealth, longevity and virility and is the patron of chess players, watchmakers and athletes. He is depicted as an old man with a high forehead and long white beard, grasping a staff with a scroll of magical scripture wrapped around it or attached to it, and is usually accompanied by a crane, deer or turtle, all of which are considered symbols of longevity.
Despite apparently being a completely separate god in the pantheon of the Shichifukujin, Juroujin appears to be the same god as Fukurokuju and indeed it is often stated that the two gods inhabit the same body. The one difference that I did manage to find was that Juroujin is usually depicted holding the unfurnled scroll of magical scripture instead of holding the staff with the scroll attached to it, but he is also occasionally pictured holding a drinking cup or glass to represent his great love of sake.
Bishamonten is an incarnation of Vaisravana, a Buddhist deity from India. He is the god of dignity, defence and healing and is the patron of soldiers, priests and doctors. He is a protector of the righteous and defender of the peace and is usually depicted clad in armour and grasping a spear and pagoda or treasure tower, whose contents he both guards and dispenses when needed. He is also known as Tamonten, one of the Guardians of the Four Directions, and is said to protect the places where Buddha preaches, always listening to Buddha's teachings as he does so.
Although the Shichifukujin are worshipped all year round, the transition between the old year and the new brings them special attention. It is customary to see in the New Year by making a pilgrimage, or Shichifukujin Meguri, to the shrines and temples of the seven separate gods and to make offerings to each of them - it is important that the seven gods are all worshipped equally, lest your luck becomes unbalanced!
The coming of the New Year also traditionally marks the arrival of Takarabune, the treasure ship which transports the Shichifukujin to dispense gifts of happiness and luck to believers. Children receive red envelopes emblazoned with the Takarabune and containing money on New Year's Eve and many people sleep with a depiction of the seven Gods and the Takarabune under their pillow at New Year in order to ensure prosperity and good dreams for the coming months. If the bearer has nightmares, the picture should be set adrift in the river or sea to neutralise the bad luck. The ship is always depicted at full sail, laden with food and treasures, and prints of it usually include an auspicious palindromic poem:
Ebisu is the only one of the Shichifukujin to originate from Japan. He is the god of candour, wealth, fishermen, the morning sun, fair business practices and young children and is usually depicted holding a large red sea bream, a symbol of good fortune. He was originally named Hiruko ('leech child') and was the third son of the Shinto gods Izanagi and Izanami, the progenitors of Japan. Due to his mother's transgression during the marriage ritual he was cursed to be born without bones and struggled to survive through his first years. Presumably due to his parents’ inability to cope with him, Ebisu was cast out into the sea in a boat of reeds and was eventually washed ashore to be cared for and raised by Ebisu Saburo. Young Ebisu eventually developed a skeletal structure and, though crippled and slightly deaf, evolved into the god Ebisu. Despite his hardships, he is known as the laughing god and is always pictured with a grin on his face.Daikokuten evolved from the Indian god Shiva and was brought to Japan from China in the 9th century. He is the god of the kitchen, fortune, wealth, agriculture, millers and farmers and is usually depicted standing or seated on bales of rice with a treasure-filled sack over his shoulder and a mallet in his hand. The mallet can magically produce anything Daikokuten desires when he strikes it and he is said to grant the wishes of believers if they tap a symbolic mallet on the ground three times before making a wish. He is often picture with Ebisu and they are generally considered to be father (Daikokuten) and son (Ebisu).Benzaiten's origins lie in the Indian goddess Sarasvati and she arrived in Japan from China in the 6th century, soon after the arrival of Buddhism. She is the only woman among the Shichifukujin and is the goddess of love, amiability, music, fine arts, eloquence, water and wisdom. She is also the patron of students, artists and geishas. Benzaiten is usually depicted sitting on a lotus leaf, carrying a Japanese mandolin or Biwa and surrounded by snakes. Occasionally she is seen with multiple arms to reflect her need to perform the various arts simultaneously. According to the Buddhist monk Kokei, Benzaiten is the third daughter of the dragon-king of Munetsuchi, the lake that lies at the centre of the world in ancient Buddhist cosmology. Another legend states that Benzaiten descended from heaven to marry a dragon that was terrorising the island of Enoshima, thus putting an end to its rampages.Hotei is probably the most widely recognised of the seven gods outside of Japan. He is a smiling, bald man with a round belly, more commonly known as the Laughing Buddha, and is usually depicted carrying a large bag, said to contain a never ending supply of food or treasure. Hotei’s large belly should not be thought of as a result of over indulgence, but rather as an indication of his great life force or chi. He is the god of happiness, laughter, popularity and magnanimity and the patron of fortunetellers, children, bartenders and restaurateurs. Hotei is the only one of the Shichifukujin to be based on a real person, the eccentric Chinese monk Pu-tai, and is also thought to be the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva Maitreya.Fukurokuju's origins lie in a Taoist myth of a hermit who could perform miracles and was said to embody the celestial powers of the South Pole star. He is the god of wisdom, popularity, wealth, longevity and virility and is the patron of chess players, watchmakers and athletes. He is depicted as an old man with a high forehead and long white beard, grasping a staff with a scroll of magical scripture wrapped around it or attached to it, and is usually accompanied by a crane, deer or turtle, all of which are considered symbols of longevity. Despite apparently being a completely separate god in the pantheon of the Shichifukujin, Juroujin appears to be the same god as Fukurokuju and indeed it is often stated that the two gods inhabit the same body. The one difference that I did manage to find was that Juroujin is usually depicted holding the unfurnled scroll of magical scripture instead of holding the staff with the scroll attached to it, but he is also occasionally pictured holding a drinking cup or glass to represent his great love of sake.Bishamonten is an incarnation of Vaisravana, a Buddhist deity from India. He is the god of dignity, defence and healing and is the patron of soldiers, priests and doctors. He is a protector of the righteous and defender of the peace and is usually depicted clad in armour and grasping a spear and pagoda or treasure tower, whose contents he both guards and dispenses when needed. He is also known as Tamonten, one of the Guardians of the Four Directions, and is said to protect the places where Buddha preaches, always listening to Buddha's teachings as he does so.Although the Shichifukujin are worshipped all year round, the transition between the old year and the new brings them special attention. It is customary to see in the New Year by making a pilgrimage, or Shichifukujin Meguri, to the shrines and temples of the seven separate gods and to make offerings to each of them - it is important that the seven gods are all worshipped equally, lest your luck becomes unbalanced!
The coming of the New Year also traditionally marks the arrival of Takarabune, the treasure ship which transports the Shichifukujin to dispense gifts of happiness and luck to believers. Children receive red envelopes emblazoned with the Takarabune and containing money on New Year's Eve and many people sleep with a depiction of the seven Gods and the Takarabune under their pillow at New Year in order to ensure prosperity and good dreams for the coming months. If the bearer has nightmares, the picture should be set adrift in the river or sea to neutralise the bad luck. The ship is always depicted at full sail, laden with food and treasures, and prints of it usually include an auspicious palindromic poem:
"nagakiyo no/ tou no nemuri no/ mina mezame/ naminori fune no/ oto no yokikana"
"Awakening from a deep sleep after a long night, I seem to hear the sweet sound of a boat sailing through the waves."
