Ebisu

恵比寿

Laughing kami of the sea and marketplace, giver of a good catch and fair trade

Ebisu (恵比寿) is the cheerful kami of the sea and the marketplace, known as the Laughing God. Devotees believe he came from beyond the waves. Some shrines know him as Hiruko, a child set adrift on a reed boat who came ashore and was welcomed. Others, such as Miho Shrine, honour him as Kotoshironushi. He is counted the only one of the Seven Lucky Gods of purely Japanese origin.

Fishing villages turn to him for a good catch and safe passage at sea. Merchants, especially in Kansai, call him Ebessan and ask for fair dealing, and rural communities look to him for abundant fields. Because he is said to be hard of hearing, worshippers clap or knock to gain his attention. He is honoured at Shinto shrines and on Buddhist-run Seven Lucky Gods pilgrimages.

See the gallery

Ebisu (God of Luck, Protector of Merchants), 18th–19th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Annette Young, in memory of her brother, Innis Young, 1956 (CC0)

How to recognise Ebisu

Tall black court hatLook for the kazaori eboshi, a tall black hat with a folded peak, his most distinctive headwear; he is never shown with a crown, halo or straw hat.
Fishing rodHe holds a fishing rod (tsurizao), usually in the right hand, a sign of his bond with fishing villages; shrine tradition also reads the bamboo branch of Tōka Ebisu as his rod.
Red sea breamA large red sea bream (tai), a fish of celebration and good luck, is cradled under the other arm, usually the left; sea bass appears occasionally instead.
Beaming faceA broad, beaming smile, usually with a beard, gives him his name as the Laughing God.
Plump, jolly buildHis round, comfortable figure expresses abundance and good humour.
Daikoku beside himHe is often paired with Daikoku (Daikokuten), shown smaller and carrying a mallet, as joint patrons of shops and homes.

Names and titles

EbessanThe affectionate name used for him in the Kansai region
The Laughing GodA title for his constant cheerfulness
Patron of Fishermen and TradesmenHe is the patron of fishermen and tradesmen
Staying Home in the Godless MonthWhen the kami gather at Izumo in the tenth lunar month, Ebisu is said not to hear the summons
Hiruko, the Child Who Drifted AshoreThe child set adrift in a reed boat who is said to have become Ebisu

Feast days

Tōka Ebisu10 January, every year

Tōka Ebisu is the New Year festival of Ebisu, the kami of fishermen and merchants, centred on the tenth day. Devotees pray for good fortune and thriving business in the year ahead. The 9th is the eve (Yoi Ebisu) and the 11th the 'remaining' day (Nokori Ebisu).
How it's celebrated. At Imamiya Ebisu Shrine in Osaka, crowds buy fukuzasa, bamboo branches hung with small lucky charms, and geisha and entertainers arrive in palanquins on the 10th. At Nishinomiya Shrine in Hyōgo, worshippers race to the main hall when the gates open that morning. Kyoto Ebisu Shrine keeps a longer five-day version, from the 8th to the 12th.
Sources: Nippon.com: Tōka Ebisu, A Three-Day Festival for a God of Fortune · Discover Kyoto: Tōka Ebisu · Japan Travel: Toka Ebisu Festival
Ebisu-kō20 October, every year

Ebisu-kō, also called Hatsuka Ebisu, is a gathering of devotees to honour Ebisu on the twentieth day. It is linked to the tenth lunar month, when many kami are said to gather at Izumo and Ebisu stays behind to watch over the land. The 19th is its eve. It is the same celebration as the January Hatsuka Ebisu, kept on a different date.
How it's celebrated. At Takarada Ebisu Shrine in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, the 19th brings the Bettara-ichi fair, with stalls selling sweet pickled daikon, and mikoshi processions. The Ebisu-kō ceremony follows on the 20th. Merchants traditionally invited relatives and friends home. Kyoto Ebisu Shrine also holds a two-day festival on the 19th and 20th, and some places keep the day in November.
Sources: GO TOKYO: Nihonbashi Ebisu-ko Bettara-ichi Pickle Fair · Tokyo Cheapo: Nihonbashi Ebisu-ko Bettara Pickles Market · Inside Kyoto: Toka Ebisu (Hatsuka Ebisu section)
Hatsuka Ebisu20 January, every year

This is the same Hatsuka Ebisu (Twentieth-Day Ebisu) as the autumn Ebisu-kō, kept on the 20th of January in some Kantō places. In the east, devotees treat the 20th, rather than the 10th, as Ebisu's special day.
How it's celebrated. In Tokyo, Asakusa Shrine holds Asakusa Hatsuka Ebisu on the 19th (the eve) and the 20th, offering special gold-stamped goshuin seals on both days. Outside the Kantō, Suwa Ebisu Shrine in Chikugo, Fukuoka, also holds a January 20 festival, with free sacred sake and pork soup after the rites. Details vary from shrine to shrine.
Sources: Omatsuri Japan: Asakusa Shrine Hatsuka Ebisu report · Ibasen: What is Ebisu-ko? · Chikugo Nanakoku: Hatsuka Ebisu Taisai