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✿ About The Seven Lucky gods of Japan - 七福神 ShichiFukujin ✿

The Seven Lucky gods of Japan refers to a group of popular deities whose origins stem from Indian, Chinese and Japanese gods of fortune folklore.

Collectively , they are called 七福神 Shichi Fukujin . In Japanese "Shichi" means seven "fuku" means luck, and "jin" means god, hence the transliteration "Seven Lucky gods".

Except for the deity named Ebisu, all of the seven lucky gods of Japan do not originate from Japan. Three are from India (Daikokuten, Bishamonten, and Benzaiten) and three are from China (Hotei, Jurojin, and Fukurokuju).

Each of the seven has been acknowledged as a deity for more than a thousand years and each has its own believers, primarily hailing from the respective professions that they belong to.

Each of the seven gods has specific characteristics in appearance, clothes and props that he or she carries or is seen with. These physical characteristics of each of the seven lucky Gods are distinct in that they are specifically related to the respective professions that they patronize.

The seven lucky gods look after the physical and commercial well-being of people and have come to be honored throughout the country.


Each has a traditional attribute:

1. Hotei, the fat and happy god of abundance and good health

2. Jurōjin, god of long life

3. Fukurokuju, god of happiness, wealth and longevity

4. Bishamonten, god of warriors

5. Benzaiten (Benten-sama), goddess of knowledge, art and beauty, especially music

6. Daikokuten (Daikoku), god of wealth, commerce and trade. Ebisu and Daikoku are often paired and represented as carvings or masks on the walls of small retail shops

7. Ebisu, god of fishers or merchants, often depicted carrying a sea bream