Seven Gods of Fortune

Overview

Cultural References

Adachitoka's depiction of the Seven Gods of Fortune.

The Seven Gods of Fortune (七 (しち) 福 (ふく) 神 (じん) , Shichi Fukujin^?), commonly referred to in English as the Seven Lucky Gods, are the seven gods of good fortune in Japanese mythology and folklore. As widely worshipped gods, the Seven Gods of Fortune are normally of high standing in Heaven, with considerable influence and grand domains in Takama-ga-hara.

Overview

As can be understood from the name, the group consists of seven gods, with each one being associated with some special abilities, attributes and/or guarding sphere(s) of people's everyday lives:

• Fukurokuju (福 (ふく) 禄 (ろく) 寿 (じゅ) ): God of Happiness, Wealth and Longevity.
• Benzaiten (弁 (べん) 財 (ざい) 天 (てん) ): Goddess of Knowledge, Art and Beauty, especially Music.
• Hotei (布 (ほ) 袋 (てい) ): God of Abundance and Good Health.
• Ebisu (恵 (え) 比 (び) 須 (す) ): God of Fishers and Merchants.
• Bishamonten (毘 (び) 沙 (しゃ) 門 (もん) 天 (てん) ): God (see trivia) of Warriors.
• Daikokuten (大 (だい) 黒 (こく) 天 (てん) ): God of Wealth, Commerce and Trade.
• Jurojin (寿 (じゅ) 老 (ろう) 人 (じん) ): God of Long Life.

Fukurokuju

Benzaiten

Hotei

Ebisu

Bishamonten

Ōkuninushi

Jurōjin

Trivia

• While in the series Bishamon is a female deity, her real-world depictions are always as a male deity.^{[citation needed]}
• The representations of Ebisu and Daikokuten are often displayed as a pair in small businesses.^{[citation needed]} This is either because of how they are both gods associated with commercial success and monetary wealth or because according to one of the less popular versions of the story of Ebisu's origin, he is a son of Ōkuninushi (first mentioned under a different name).