Now finding himself much more capable, Hiruko learned to walk and began his transformation into the smiling, happy god he is today. Though Hiruko was initially a sickly child, he grew legs-and likely his whole skeleton-when he reached the age of three. He was taken in by a kindly group of Ainu and raised by Ebisu Saburo. Horrified by the child’s disfigurements, Izanagi and Izanami disowned him and cast him into sea, where Hiruko floated for a time before washing onto an unknown shore (some suggest that these were the shores of Hokkaido). The two gods had performed their marriage rituals and the subsequent consummation improperly, and thus produced a child with no bones whom they called Hiruko, the Leech Child. The most common origin of Ebisu is as Hiruko, the first child of Izanagi and Izanami. This child they placed in a boat of reeds, and let it float away.- Kojiki, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain Family TreeĮbisu has many origins, all of which have lead to his current status as one of the Seven Lucky Gods. Regardless of his parentage, most sources agree that he was raised by the Ainu deity Ebisu Saburo. Other origins suggest he is the son of Okuninushi, kami of magic, or Daikokuten, another of the Seven Lucky Gods who is sometimes listed as Ebisu’s “twin” deity. Though he was the first kami to be brought into the world, Ebisu was rejected by his parents for being imperfect. Though his parentage varies depending on his origin, Ebisu is commonly believed to be the first child of Izanagi and Izanami. Ebisu is often paired with Daikokuten together with Fukurokuhu, they make up the Three Gods of Good Fortune, a subset of the Seven Lucky Gods. Of these seven, he is the only one not to originate in India. This quality makes Ebisu a very popular deity with restaurants, corporations, and fisheries.Įbisu is one of the Shichifukujin, the Seven Lucky Gods who bring wealth and abundance to worthy souls in Japan. Of these properties, the most notable is his ability to be worshipped anywhere. Despite his crippled nature (or perhaps because of it), he still manages to be a kindly god who shares his wealth freely.Įbisu’s inability to answer the annual call to return to the Grand Shrine of Izumo (in the tenth month of the Japanese calendar) gives him certain properties other Japanese deities lack. Ebisu is also deaf and partially unable to walk due to his lack of bones as a child. As the patron of sailors and those who live off the bounty of the sea, Ebisu is represented in animal form by whales, jellyfish, and whale sharks. He is always smiling and laughing, and carries a fishing rod and a large fish-usually either a red sea beam or red bass-with him most of the time. Often depicted as a rotund fisherman with a large hat, Ebisu is associated with the abundance of the sea and the luck it takes to bring said abundance home. His original name in most myths was Hiruko (蛭子, “leech child”), and he is sometimes known as Kotoshiro-nushi-no-kami (事代主神), meaning “chief deity of business time.”ĭue to his jovial nature and the many depictions of such, he is also sometimes called Laughing Ebisu or Smiling Ebisu. Ebisu is also known by several other names. The first two of these can be translated to mean “a favorable yield (in perpetuity).” Interestingly, 夷 and 戎 are Kanji used for the Ainu, Japan’s indigenous population. Ebisu is represented by many Kanji, including 恵比須, 恵比寿, 夷, and 戎.
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