The Seven Lucky Gods: How Deities from India, China and Japan Became Japan’s Gods of Fortune
Gods from Three Lands: Who the Seven Lucky Gods Are and Where They Came From
Pictures of a treasure ship displayed in the alcove at New Year, pilgrimages to the shrines of the Shichifukujin: the Seven Lucky Gods are among the most beloved symbols of good fortune in Japan today. Ebisu, Daikokuten, Bishamonten, Benzaiten, Fukurokuju, Jurojin and Hotei gather together and bring happiness aboard a ship loaded with treasure. At first glance, this looks like an ancient native Japanese tradition. Yet seen through history and religious studies, only one of the seven, Ebisu, is originally Japanese.
The others come from Hinduism in India and from Buddhism and Taoism in China, making the group a remarkably international gathering of gods.
How did deities with such different origins and teachings come to share one boat and become Japan's own "gods of fortune"? Behind this lies the deepening blend of Shinto and Buddhism from the medieval to the early modern period, and the strong desire of ordinary people for blessings in this life as commerce developed.
Looking again at the members, their diverse roots are striking. Ebisu, the only one born in Japan, is identified with Hiruko, child of the creator gods Izanagi and Izanami, or with Kotoshironushi, son of Okuninushi. He was first worshipped by fishing communities as a god who drifted in from across the sea bringing wealth. With his tall court hat and hunting robe, a fishing rod in his right hand and a sea bream under his left arm, he became a symbol of the sea's bounty and prosperous business.
Daikokuten, Bishamonten and Benzaiten all originate in Hindu deities of ancient India. Daikokuten comes from Mahakala, "the Great Black One," a destructive aspect of Shiva adopted into Buddhism, and was at first a fierce Esoteric guardian. On his way through China to Japan, he became a god of good fortune protecting kitchens, and because his name, Daikoku, could also be read like that of the Shinto god Okuninushi (Okuni), the two merged.
He was transformed into a gentle figure holding a magic mallet and standing on bales of rice. Bishamonten is Vaishravana, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, a protector of valor and treasure. Benzaiten is Sarasvati, goddess of a sacred river, revered as a deity of water and abundance as well as music and learning.
The remaining three, Fukurokuju, Jurojin and Hotei, come from Chinese Taoism and Buddhism. Fukurokuju and Jurojin are both considered incarnations of the Southern Pole Star (Canopus) in Taoism, immortals who govern long life and prosperity. Because they are so similar, in some regions and periods Kichijoten or the sake-loving spirit Shojo were counted among the seven instead. Hotei is modeled on Qici, a Zen monk said to have lived in late Tang China and revered as an incarnation of the future Buddha Maitreya.
He is the only one of the seven based on a real person. Carrying a large cloth bag and smiling broadly as he shares good fortune with the people, he symbolizes the virtues of non-attachment and generosity.
Muromachi Zen Culture and the Seven Sages: The Birth of a Group of Seven
These gods of diverse origin were first grouped as a set of seven in Muromachi-period Kyoto. Under the patronage of the Muromachi shogunate, Zen monastic culture and its literature flourished, and monks and intellectuals enjoyed refined gatherings modeled on the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove in China.
The auspicious number seven also connected with a phrase from the Buddhist Benevolent Kings Sutra, "the seven calamities vanish at once, and the seven blessings arise at once," and this is said to have inspired the selection of seven gods of fortune.
In the early medieval period, Ebisu and Daikoku were first worshipped as a pair. Representing the bounty of sea and mountains, or the prosperity of trade and farming, they were widely embraced by merchants as protectors of markets. By the late Muromachi period, Bishamonten, god of military fortune and victory, joined them to make three, and Benzaiten was added as a protector of the arts and business, and the group gradually grew.
Medieval kyogen comedies and noh chants often feature gods of fortune appearing on stage to raise laughter and bring wealth to a household. In an age of harsh warfare, ordinary people and rising merchants longed not only for paradise after death but for peace and material comfort in this life. More than doctrinal strictness, they wanted familiar symbols of earthly blessings that anyone could understand, and the grouping of the gods of fortune moved forward quickly.
The Tenkai Legend and Edo New Year Customs: Treasure Ships, First Dreams and the Sumida River Pilgrimage
The membership of the Seven Lucky Gods became nearly fixed as the seven we know today, and the group took firm root in popular culture, in the Edo period. A well-known folk story says that in the early years of the shogunate, the monk Tenkai, trusted by Tokugawa Ieyasu, advised that a peaceful realm required seven virtues, longevity, wealth, popularity, dignity, integrity, good reputation and magnanimity, and recommended the Seven Lucky Gods to the shogunate.
Historians consider this largely a later legend, but it shows how highly the seven gods were valued as symbols of national peace and household safety, from rulers to townspeople.
As the culture of Edo townspeople blossomed, the Seven Lucky Gods became hugely popular through seasonal customs. The best known is the custom of the first dream of the year. On the night of January 2, people slept with a picture of the treasure ship under their pillow, printed with a palindrome poem that reads the same forwards and backwards, in the hope of a lucky first dream. If they had a bad dream, they floated the paper away on a river to cast off misfortune.
The ship carried the smiling seven gods along with gold, silver, bales of rice, a cloak of invisibility, wish-granting jewels and other lucky charms, and ukiyo-e artists published a wide variety of treasure ship prints.
In the early nineteenth century, pilgrimages to the Seven Lucky Gods, beginning with the Sumida River Shichifukujin in Mukojima, Edo, became a popular New Year event. On clear winter days, people strolled through scenic spots visiting temples and shrines, collecting lucky bamboo branches and clay figures of treasure ships. It was a religious practice and at the same time a perfect leisure outing for the townspeople.
Earthly Blessings Born of Harmony: From Early Modern Japan to Today
The essence of the Seven Lucky Gods lies in the wisdom of shinbutsu shugo, the blending of Shinto and Buddhism, which embraced different religions and cultures freely rather than excluding them and created one harmony. Rather than rejecting foreign gods, the Japanese reinterpreted them, making use of their qualities to turn them into familiar protectors of daily life. This mindset reflects the tolerance at the foundation of Japanese culture.
Today, the Seven Lucky Gods still live on as familiar lucky motifs, on shopping street signs, lottery advertisements and in pilgrimages across the country. When we meet their smiles, we find more than wishes for money or success. We find a universal prayer for coexistence: people of many different backgrounds joining hands, crossing rough seas together and sailing toward the harbor of happiness.
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References
- Miyata Noboru, Shichifukujin Shinko Jiten, Ebisu Kosyo Shuppan, 1998
- Iijima Yoshiharu, Shichifukujin no Nazo, Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2011
- Kitagawa Morisada, Morisada Manko (Iwanami Bunko)
- Kokushi Daijiten Editorial Committee (ed.), Kokushi Daijiten, Yoshikawa Kobunkan
- Nakamura Hajime et al. (eds.), Iwanami Bukkyo Jiten, 3rd ed., Iwanami Shoten, 2023
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