The cloth bag monk is the god of good fortune, also known as Maitreya Bodhisattva, its image is a big belly, fat, lying on the big cloth bag.

Finally, Bencaiten is the only goddess of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, proficient in music and eloquent, with the image of a crown of eight lotus flowers on her headdress and a lute in her arms.

The custom of worshipping and worshipping the Seven Lucky Gods is still going on, and the sacrifices are mostly carried out at the beginning of the first month of each year.

The seven gods of good fortune in the island country are the seven gods in charge of happiness, but there are many theories about which seven they are, but in short, they are a combination of Shinto, Taoist, Buddhism, Brahmanism, and other auspicious gods from the island country, China, and India.

It is said that the appearance of the Seven Lucky Gods was formed in the middle of the Muromachi period, when the wind of pure talk gradually rose and was influenced by the Seven Sages of the Chinese Bamboo Forest.

At that time, Kyoto's aristocrats, samurai, and wealthy merchants used to hang calligraphy and paintings of the Seven Sages and the Seven Gods on the walls of the shoin or tea room, and the Seven Gods of Good Fortune gradually spread and became a favorite deity among the people.

Nowadays, the people of the island country have long forgotten the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest, but the belief in the Seven Lucky Gods is still popular, so there are many Seven Lucky Gods pilgrimage roads all over the island country, and there are often shrines of different gods in each temple, and the Seven Lucky Gods also have their own temples and shrines and become characteristic attractions.

The first month of the year refers to the first visit to a temple or shrine in the first year of the year. There will be many advertisements hanging on the train, and you will go to such and such a shrine or such a temple. In the era of commoditization, gods and Buddhas also have to compete to survive. At this time, you will often see advertisements that read "Visit the Temple of Seven Blessings in a certain place". Chinese often say that the eight immortals, the eight immortals live in Penglai Xiandao, speaking of the direction only say, there are fairy mountains on the sea, hidden among the clouds and mist. When I came to take a look, there were four islands in Dongying, but there were only seven immortals, and the faces were tight, so I couldn't help but be a little suspicious. Upon closer inspection, it turns out that there is the following reason.

The seven gods of good fortune in the island country are: Daikokuten, Ebisu, Bishamonten, Bencaiten, Furokuju, Shou Lao, and Budai Monk. Their birth is somewhat similar to the reason for the flourishing of Buddhism in China during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. These gods of good fortune were born in the troubled times at the end of the Muromachi period in the island country, and the years of war caused the exhaustion of society, and the suffering people could only hope for tomorrow and the blessing of the gods in order to seek spiritual comfort.

As the head of the god of good fortune, Ebisu was originally named Yi, or Yi Saburo. It is said that the god who came from a distant land and can bring good fortune to people travels around the world with a fishing rod in his right hand and a sea bream in his left hand, and many fishermen believe in him. Fishermen throughout the island country have the habit of calling whales and sharks Ebisu, because whales and sharks must be followed by schools of fish, and if they get close to whales and sharks, they will definitely catch a lot of fish. Not only fishermen believed in him, but also merchants and farmers. In some places, he is enshrined as the god of the mountain, the god of the land, or the god of the market, the god of the stove, the god of the town, and so on.

Daikokuten is said to have been originally the Indian Mahakara, a Buddha who lived in the Great Wilderness Heaven and was worshipped in the kitchen of the temple. In fact, although the Daikoku Tenjin is an Indian deity, it has been transmitted from India to China, and then from China to the island country, and has a Chinese color. The great black god of India, also known as Shiva, is the god of war and is very fierce. After entering China, the Ming Dynasty became the god of cooking, which is related to the "creation" of Shiva's original form, highlighting the "rich" attribute.

After Buddhism spread to the islands, he also came. It is named the patron saint of Mt. Hiei and is enshrined in the cafeterias of various temples. Ordinary people think that he is the god of good fortune who manages the kitchen and canteen. Daikoku and Ebisu are often worshiped together, because their division of labor is not very clear, the kitchen is managed by Daikoku, but the stove is under the jurisdiction of Megumi, cross-administrative, and the powers are different. It was difficult for the common people to do it, so they had to provide both. It is said that Daikoku's Goshi was a mouse, as rats were always able to predict disasters such as fires and earthquakes. Therefore, people think that only the rat lives at home to get the protection of the big black, and if even the rat is gone, the family will decay.

Bishamen Tian seems to be transformed from the image of the Buddhist king of heaven, the image is very brave, wearing armor, holding a gun in the right hand, and holding a bead in the left hand, and has the ability to subdue demons and subdue demons. He is revered as a god who bestows courage and fortune. It is also believed to be the god of wisdom.

The Seven Blessings God Budai Monk was a Zen monk from the Tang Dynasty of China who lived in Siming Mountain. The face is pleasant, the chest is leaky, and he often carries a cloth pocket to turn into a square edge. It is generally believed that the Budai monk is the embodiment of Maitreya Buddha. Since the spread of Zen Buddhism to the island nation, it is widely believed that there will be a "Maitreya life". Therefore, there are Budai monks in the eighteen arhats and seven lucky gods of the island country.

Fu Lu Shou and Shou Lao were originally the incarnations of the Antarctic fairy urn in Chinese legends, but in the Muromachi era of the island country, they became two people. Fu Lu Shou has become the image of a long head, a small man, and a crane-haired childish face, while the old man is on a cane and accompanied by a sika deer.

Bencaiten's life story is more complicated, and some places believe that it is a legendary god who specializes in drama born on the island, which can bring joy to people, and the island country has a saying that there are many blessings in the happy door. There are also places where Bencaiten is considered to be a man of many talents, holding a bow, knife, axe, and rope in his left hand, and an arrow, a three-strand fork, and a pestle in his right hand. There is also Bencaiten, who plays the lute.

As for his mana, it is mainly to bring people the wisdom of the tongue and the skill of wealth or breadwinners.

The image of the "treasure boat" that the Seven Lucky Gods gathered together and came by boat was formed in the middle of the Edo period, and the treasure ship was loaded with gold, silver, and rice bales. The townspeople of Edo believe that if you dream of a "treasure ship" in your first dream after the new year, you will have good luck in the year. Therefore, in order to dream of the treasure ship during the New Year, before the New Year, some people painted the appearance of the treasure boat and sold it along the street, and in the days of the New Year, it became a habit for people to press the treasure boat under the pillow to sleep. This custom has spread throughout the country in modern times.

Ebisu is revered as the god of commerce. It is the local god of the island nation. Legend has it that the god Ebisu taught people to barter fish and crops, and was revered by the islanders as the guardian of the prosperous trade. It is also said that it has a "travel beard" to protect people's safety and smooth transportation. With a smile on his face, the god Ebisu is dressed in a hunting suit, holding a fishing rod in his right hand and a sea bream in his left hand, which means auspiciousness, and is very popular with the common people. There is a statue of it at Ebisu Station in Tokyo. When ama dives and fishermen cast their nets, there is a custom of shouting "Ebisu" in some places.

Daikokuten is the god of good luck. Commonly known as the wife of a monk, she is in the kitchen and does not enter the world. Legend has it that Daikokuten is a place where "the sea of good life is immeasurable", and it can use tactics to drive away the five evil spirits such as the god of bad luck, so that people can live a safe and healthy life.