Ebisu
is also called Hiruko, a Shinto deity. His name means "The Laughing God".
He is the only one of the Seven Gods of Luck with a native Japanese origin. According
to Japanese legend, Ebisu is slightly crippled because his legs didn't develop
until he was three years of age. Therefore he is often found in a twisted awkward
pose. He is recognized as a fisherman with rod and a fish, and is worshipped as
a patron saint of seafaring, fishing and the provider of daily sustenance for
honest labor.
Ebisu
and Daikoku are frequently represented together as Gods of prosperity, and they
are sometimes joined by Fukurokuju as The Three Gods of Good Fortune. The festival
of Ebisu is on the 20th day of the 10th month, a time when all the other eight
millions of the Japanese pantheon are said to meet at the Great Shrine of Izumo.
Ebisu is not with them because being deaf he doesn't hear the summons. Hence his
festival is celebrated in the "month without Gods".
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