Ebisu

Ebisu is the Japanese god of fishermen, good fortune, and commercial prosperity. Alone among the Seven Gods of Fortune (Shichifukujin), he is a purely native Shinto kami, yet he is commonly venerated alongside Buddhist deities in the syncretic Fortune pantheon. His origins are layered: in medieval narratives he is identified with Hiruko, the first child of Izanagi and Izanami, born limbless and set adrift before washing ashore and maturing into a vigorous deity; in other traditions he is equated with Kotoshironushi, a son of Ōkuninushi. Historically, devotion seems to have arisen among coastal fishing communities and later spread to merchants and farmers.

Iconographically, Ebisu is smiling, wearing a tall eboshi cap, holding a fishing rod and a plump sea bream (tai), a pun on medetai (“auspicious”). Worship focuses on blessings for safe fishing, thriving trade, and steady income. Offerings include sea bream, sake, and the first catch; shopkeepers enshrine him with Daikokuten on shelves or at store-front shrines. Major observances include New Year prayers and the Tōka Ebisu festivals in early January, when bamboo fronds (fukusasa) adorned with lucky charms are received for business prosperity. In some locales he also guards driftage from the sea.