DAIKOKU = God of fortune and wealth came into my way on my very first day in Japan, in the street, not far away from Haneda airport. Here he is standing, but commonly he sits, on two bales of rice, the most important staple food in Japan, where all salaries and allowances of Daimyo = Lord and samurai = warrior were paid in rice. On his back he carries a large bag, which means food.
In his right hand he he has a mallet called “Uchide no Kotsuchi” – hammer that brings everything by beating it, thus it means wealth. He is beating his mallet! 🙂 Lucky me, this means that anything and everything will come out. Good omen for my journey! Similar to Aladdin´s lamp. Daikoku seems to have been imported to Japan during the Heian Era (794-1185) from India – deity called Makahala. Except that Makahala never carries a bag.
