Shichifukujin, in Japanese mythology, the seven gods of luck and happiness. Their names are Daikoku, Ebisu, Benten, Bishamon, Fukurokuju, his grandson Jurojin and Hotei. The group was formed in the 17th century. Monk Tenkai based on the deities of Buddhism, Japanese folklore and Chinese Taoism in such a way that the gods included symbolize all the components of happiness: luck, generosity, honesty, dignity, glory, longevity and friendliness. According to literary sources, the original Japanese gods were Daikoku and Ebisu, the rest were forms of popular Buddhist deities who came from China and India. Thanks to the peaceful coexistence of different religions, the cute gods of happiness and good fortune were highly revered in Japan.
Fukurokuju is the god of longevity, wisdom and fertility, one of the seven gods of happiness and good fortune. In the minds of the Japanese, he was a short-legged old man with a huge, elongated bald head, which spoke of his extraordinary intelligence. Fukurokuju's companions were birds and animals that also embodied longevity: a crane, a deer or ox, a turtle.
Jurojin is one of the seven gods of happiness and good fortune, embodied in the guise of a good-natured white-bearded old man who gave people longevity and a happy old age.
Hotei is one of the seven gods of happiness in Japanese mythology. People imagined him as a fat, smiling old man, whose indispensable attributes were a bag and a small sieve. The god’s huge belly testified to his gluttony and good-natured disposition.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru