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EBISU (YEBISU)
God of Good Fortune, the Ocean, and Fishing Folk
Also Deity of Honest Labor & Patron of Laborers
Japanese Origin
One of Japan's Seven Lucky Gods
Shinto Names: Kotoshiro-nushi no kami; same as
Kotoshiro-nushi no Mikoto, who is the son of
Okuni-nushi no Mikoto (aka Daikokuten)
Ebisu is also known as Hiruko-no-Mikoto
Last Update: March 25, 2007
Added text by Flammarion Guide
   
Modern statues of Ebisu (circa 1920 to present)
ABOVE: Ebisu Icon on Japanese Beer named Yebisu
Yebisu Beer is made by Sapporo Brewery in Hokkaido
Male. The god of fishermen and good fortune, the smiling and bearded Ebisu is most often depicted dressed as a Japanese peasant with a fishing rod in his right hand, and with a large red sea bream (Jp. = tai) dangling from the line or tucked under his left arm. In Japan, this fish (sea bream or red snapper) is a symbol of good forture. Sometimes Ebisu is also carrying a folding fan, and shown wearing a tall pointed hat. I'm not sure what these latter two objects mean, although the folding fan was waved by the emperor in a certain direction to indicate either acceptance or rejection of a request during the emperor's audiences with nobles and commoners. It might therefore represent the granting of wishes. The pointed hat is known as the Kazaori Eboshi 風折烏帽子.
In a nation very fond of fish, Ebisu is not surprisingly one of the most popular of the Seven Lucky Gods. Ebisu is also the only deity among the seven to originate in Japan. Today he symbolizes not only safe sailing and plentiful fishing, but business prosperity for merchants in all trades. In artwork, Ebisu is often paired with Daikoku (Hindu origin; god of agriculture & rice). Indeed, in some traditions, Ebisu is considered the son of Daikoku. Statues of the pair can be found everywhere in modern Japan, as can statue groupings of all seven members of the Seven Lucky Gods. Together with the seven, the Ebisu-Daikoku duet is perhaps the most popular motif of good luck nationwide.
Statues of Ebisu are Available for Online Purchase
at www.buddhist-artwork.com, our sister site
STORY OF HIRUKO NO MIKOTO. In some traditions, Ebisu is the son of the Shinto deity Okuni-nushi no Mikoto (aka Daikokuten) There is another conflicting story, however, about the origins of Ebisu found in the Kojiki, Japan's oldest chronicle (around 720 AD). In the Kojiki, there is one deity named Hiruko-no-Mikoto. Hiruko was the third son of the Shinto gods Izanagi-no-Mikoro and Izanami-no-Mikoto, the progenitors of the islands of Japan. Yet since he was born without any bones he was cast out into the ocean at age three. Somehow he returned to land and was cared for by one Ebisu Saburo. He overcame many hardships and later became the god Ebisu. He's also considered the god of the morning sun, and he guards the health of little children, as does Jizo Bodhisattva, the latter one of Japan's most beloved Buddhist divinities. One of Japan's other Seven Lucky Gods, Hotei (the Laughing Buddha), is also regarded as a patron of children. Indeed, there are many patrons of children in Japanese traditions. For an overview, please see Protectors & Patrons of Children in Japan.
ANIMAL ASSOCIATIONS
Sea Bream, Red Snapper, Jellyfish
  
Left Photo: Ebisu and Daikoku
Middle Photo: Daikoku and Ebisu
Right Photo: L to R are Daikoku, Ebisu, and Hotei
Daikoku at left, Ebisu at right
Above Photos -- Thanks to Robert Yellin,
the owner of the above Bizen pieces
 
Above two bizen sets taken from Yahoo auction photos
 
19th century, Ebisu, Wood Carvings
Photos courtesy of www.rarebooksinjapan.com
Ebisu Amulet (Sandalwood) | Modern
Available for online purchase; sandalwood
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Ebisu at
Iwaki Jinja
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EBISU IN JAPANESE MYTHOLOGY
Below Text Courtesy of JAANUS
www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/e/ebisu.htm
Also written 夷, 戎, or 蛭子. Ebisu is one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune (Shichifukujin 七福神). Ebisu is regarded as the tutelary deity of all occupations, but especially of fishing, farming and commerce. The main attributes of Ebisu are his fishing rod, held in his right hand or over his right shoulder, and a freshly caught, large red snapper or sea bream (tai 鯛, a symbol of good fortune) under his left arm. He is a plump figure with a broadly grinning face, usually shown sitting on a rock. He may wear a kimono 着物 and divided skirt hakama 袴, or sashinuki 指貫, a type of Heian period hakama gathered in at the ankles, or sometimes kariginu 狩衣, the ancient hunting robes which became the ordinary apparel of Heian period courtiers. On his head, he wears a tall, pointed cap folded in the middle called kazaori eboshi 風折烏帽子. His happy expression and attributes of prosperity make him a popular god among merchants. Ebisu is frequently paired with the god Daikokuten 大国天, who is also one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune. The two gods are often enshrined in the kitchen, especially in farming communities. Worship of Ebisu became very popular during the Edo period, when Ebisu dolls were mass-produced and sold throughout the countryside by traveling Ebisu puppeteers (ebisumawashi 恵比須回 or ebisukaki 夷舁) mainly from Nishinomiya 西宮 in Hyougo Prefecture. Dolls or portraits were used by believers at festival rites, ebisukou 夷子講, held on October 20th (or in January in some regions) to celebrate Ebisu and pray for prosperity. Ebisu was a popular subject painted by various artists of the Edo period including Kanou Tan'yuu 狩野探幽 (1602-74) and Ogata Kourin 尾形光琳 (1659-1716), remains popular to this day. In Ootsu-e drawings 大津絵, Ebisu and Daikokuten are sometimes charicatured as two figures engaged in a bout of sumo 相撲 wrestling. The name Ebisu is derived from the term for "foreigner" or "barbarian" and thought to reflect the early worship of deities bringing desired skills from distant lands.
Ebisu, the god of commerce, is represented in Kyougen 狂言 plays by a masked figure (Kyougenmen 狂言面). The Ebisu mask has a generous, laughing expression; his eyes are narrowed, forehead gently furrowed, and mouth wide open in a broad smile. His moustache and eyebrows are painted in fine black lines. Ebisu appears in celebratory kyougen plays such as "Ebisu and Daikoku" (EBISU DAIKOKU 恵比須大黒) and "Ebisu and Bishamon" (EBISU BISHAMON 恵比須毘沙門). The Ebisu mask was also frequently used to represent the god of happiness, Fuku-no-kami 福の神, the main character in the play FUKUNOKAMI. <end quote from JAANUS>
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Says the Flammarion Iconographic Guide (page 239):
- Ebisu is worshipped in the region of Osaka, where his feast is celebrated each year on 9 and 10 January and 20 October by tradesmen who strike the walls of his sanctuary with mallets to call him, because he is believed to be rather deaf. Large radishes (daikon) steeped in vinegar (bettara) are offered to him as tributes. Sanctuaries are dedicated to him throughout Japan -- that of Nishi no Miya (Hyogo Prefecture) is famous and attracts many pilgrims.
- Japanese fishermen invoke Ebisu before going to sea or diving. They symbolize him by a large stone which a young boy must fish from the bottom of the water at certain times of the year.
- In some parts of Japan, especially Kyushu, the deity of farms is also named Ebisu, and some groups of hunters on this island call the monkeys by the same name. <end quotes from Flammarion Guide>
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