Today I’m leaving for Japan, where I will be for almost two weeks.  I will be looking for fabulous and rare textiles to post on my site and to see friends–and to drink in the culture, of course.

I’ll be in Kyoto (where these photos were taken) with just one day in Tokyo.  I’m really looking forward to sourcing wonderful things to sell, so if there are any requests from you while I’m on the road, drop me a line.  I’ll be a moving target while in Japan, so I don’t think I’ll be posting while there, but certainly I will do so when I return.

Right about now we all need a reprieve from thinking about the tanking global economy, and what better way to do so than to introduce two of Japan’s most beloved deities, Ebisu (left) and Daikoku (right), the ubiquitous “Gods of Good Fortune” and two of Japan’s “Seven Lucky Gods.” They are sometimes considered to be father (Daikoku) and son (Ebisu).  They are shown here in folk depictions.

Ebisu is the God of Fisherman and Fortune, not surprising that we find fortune and fish joined in a thought couplet in Japan, whose sustenance relies on abundance of fish.  Ebisu is shown as jolly, bearded fisherman shown holding a fishing rod in his right hand (in this case it is missing), and a large sea bream–a symbol of good fortune–in his left hand, or slung over his back.

Daikoku is the God of Wealth and Farmers;  in his popular form in Japan he is considered to be the “god of success is worldly endeavors” and he is shown, plump and smiling, standing on rice bales and, in his left hand, his trusty “magic mallet” which can bestow treasures when tapped.  He is often shown carrying a heavy bag of fortunate goodies.

Daikoku’s origins are Indian, not uncommon with certain Japanese deities: Buddhism traveled to Japan from India via China and Korea, and some of Buddhism’s early beliefs were syncretized with Hinduism: Hindu deities are installed in some of the most important  Nara, Heian and Kamakura era temples along with Buddhist deities.