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Shichi-fukujin (Seven Gods of Luck)

Japan's Shinto religion (The Way of the Gods) is as old as Japan. Its belief is that all things in nature are or embody a god (kami); wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers, etc. Even such things as fertility is a kami. Consequently, there are millions of kami in Japan. Some kami are especially noteworthy, however. Among these are the shichi-fukujin, the seven Gods of luck or fortune.

In no particular order, the seven kami are:

Ebisu: God of fishing, agriculture and trade

Benzaiten: Goddess of arts, eloquence and knowledge

Bishamonten: God of war and good luck

Daikokuten: God of wealth, agriculture, and food purveyor

Fukurokuju: God of health and longevity

Jurojin: God of longevity

Hotei: God of economy, philanthropy

The seven became associated with each other in the 16th century. They sail together in their treasure ship, Takarabune, from heaven to Earth on the first three days of each New Year. Children place woodblock prints of the ship under their pillows to bring good dreams, a sign of good luck in the coming year. If they have bad dreams, they are easily disposed of by discarding the print.

Hotei (The Laughing Buddha)

One of the seven shichi-fukujin, Hotei, is sometimes known as the Laughing Buddha or the Fat Buddha.

It is believed that Hotei is loosely based on a real person; a Buddhist monk who lived in southern China in the 10th century. Known as Budai in China (his name literally means "linen sack" because of the large cloth bag he is habitually associated with), his worship was part of the Chan Buddhist sect. Chan Buddhism was transmitted to Japan in the 13th century as Zen Buddhism, and Budai became known as Hotei in Japan. Hotei was eventually adopted into Shinto beliefs where he became part of the shichi-fukujin.

A large statue of Hotei is located in Mampuku-ji, a Buddhist temple in Kyōto. 

Hotei is nearly always depicted with a very large, exposed, protruding belly. Rubbing his belly on statues is supposed to bring good luck. He carries with him a large linen bag that is either filled with all sorts of goodies or is empty. If filled, he distributes its contents to make people happy, especially children. In that sense, he has become associated with Santa Claus. He is especially honored on New Year's Day. According to some Zen thinking, an empty bag is supposed to be a way to learn how to be content with what one already has.

He is often depicted with children. An example is this netsuke.

Artwork

Hotei has been represented in Japanese painting for centuries.

Kanō Masanobu (1434 – 1530)

Masanobu was born into a rural samurai family. He rose to become the chief painter of the Ashikaga shogunate. He is seen as the founder of the Kanō school of art, though his son, Kanō Motonobu, was the one who established the school's distinctive style. The Kanō school dominated Japanese art for four centuries.

Kanō Takanobu (1571 – 1618)

Born into the Kanō family, Takanobu was chiefly in charge of painting the new palace of Emperor Go-Mizunoo being built in Kyōto. The project was finished in 1614. The calligraphy on the Hotei hanging scroll below (not part of the castle project) was transcribed and written by Tetsuzan Sōdon (1532 – 1617). It is a poem by the Chinese Daoist Bai Yuchan (1194 – 1229). It reads:

Hotei’s sack encompasses

the Great Emptiness. Holding a staff, he tramps

around three thousand worlds. Miroku claps his hands,

and laughs—ha, ha! The bright moon shines,

the wind disappears.

Kanō Tan'yu (1602 – 1674)

One of the greatest artists in the Kanō school, Tan'yu was the son of Kanō Takanobu. In 1617, he became the first official painter of the Tokugawa shogunate. Though mostly known for his byōbu paintings in the Kanō style, Tan'yu's monochrome artwork more closely resembled the style of the Tosa stool. The painting below is titled Hotei with Chinese Children at Play (1602).

Kanō Tanshin (1653–1718)

The son of Kanō Tan'yu by his second wife, Tanshin led a branch of the Kanō school after 1674. He was part of a rebellion against some traditional Kanō school practices. His paintings tended to resemble styles of Tosa school artwork. I think that Tanshin's Hotei below is supposed to be laughing, but he has a sinister look.

Ogata Kōrin (1658 – 1716)

One of the founders of the informal Rinpa school of art along with Sōtatsu (1570 – 1640), Kōrin is thought of today as one of Japan's greatest artists. Part of his name (rin) is in the school's name. His best known works are byōbu, but he painted many other things, too. An example is this hanging scroll of Hotei.

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839 – 1892)

Yoshitoshi is regarded as the last great ukiyo-e artist, with a career spanning two eras; the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji Restoration of the modern era. He was a great innovator. He struggled to maintain and enhance traditional woodblock subjects, styles, and techniques at the same time as Japan was abandoning them in favor of western mass production techniques. Traditional ukiyo-e died with him. The print below is from Yoshitoshi's series, 100 Views of the Moon.