Seven Lucky Gods
History, Heritage & Religion

The Seven Lucky Gods or Shichi Fukujin are a group of seven Japanese Shinto gods of luck. They are often portrayed in a ship of treasures, called Takara-Bune. The Shichi Fujukin ("seven happiness beings") are: Benten, Bishamon, Daikoku, Ebisu, Fukurokuju, Hotei, and Jurojin. At Sanganichi, the Japanese New Year, people pray to them after cleaning their houses thoroughly.

Relevance to Ranma 1/2

In the first Ranma 1/2 film the character Bishmonten represents the god of treasure. His name is made by replacing the first two kanji of his real name with "hisha", a shogi piece. Daikoku was the god of wealth, but his appearance has nothing in common with the two go-playing twins. The kanji used to write the name of Mu (the fat god in the film) means "nothing". Takahashi has also depicted the Seven Lucky Gods in her short story "The Golden Gods of Poverty" and with the character of Benten in Urusei Yatsura.