Fukurokuju

Japanese: 福禄寿 - ふくろくじゅ

One of the Seven Lucky Gods. Also known as Fukurokunin. A Chinese god of good fortune who is said to bring happiness, wealth, and longevity. He is depicted as a short-statured man with a short head and a staff with a sutra scroll tied to it. There is also a theory that he is an incarnation of the Southern Star, and he is often confused with Jurojin. He was introduced to Japan mainly as a subject for ink paintings related to the spread of Zen Buddhism, and eventually came to be counted as one of the Seven Lucky Gods, but he was not generally worshiped as a god of good fortune in his own right.

[Toshimi Takeuchi]

[Reference item] | Seven Lucky Gods | Jurojin

Seven Lucky Gods
This is a nishiki-e (colored woodblock print) depicting seven gods, believed to bring good fortune, assembling the character for "longevity," which represents auspiciousness. In the upper left is Benzaiten, to the lower right is Fukurokuju, from the top center are Bishamonten, Jurojin, and Hotei, and on the right are Daikokuten (front) and Ebisu, carrying part of the character for "sashininai." Utagawa Kunisada (3rd Toyokuni), "Seven Lucky Gods Assembling a Longevity Pillar," triptych, 1853 (Kaei 6), owned by the National Diet Library .

Seven Lucky Gods

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

七福神の一つ。福禄人ともいう。幸福と封禄と長寿を兼ね備えるという中国の福神。短身長頭で経巻を結んだ杖(つえ)を持つ姿に表現される。南極星の化身という説もあり、また寿老人と混同されることもままある。日本に導入されたのは、おもに禅宗の流布と関連する水墨画の題材としてであり、やがて七福神の一つに数えられるに至ったが、独自の福神としては一般の信仰対象にならなかった。

［竹内利美］

[参照項目] | 七福神 | 寿老人

七福神
幸福を招くとされる7体の神が、めでたさを表す「寿（壽）」の文字を組み立てる様を描いた錦絵。左上が弁才天、その右下が福禄寿、中央上から毘沙門天、寿老人、布袋、右は「さしにない」で文字の一部を運ぶ大黒天（前）と恵比須。歌川国貞（3世豊国）画『七福神壽柱建之図』　三枚続　1853年（嘉永6）国立国会図書館所蔵">

七福神

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