The first Shinto god I learnt of when I first came to Japan was Ebisu 恵比寿. I learnt his name because the language school I was teaching at was in the Ebisu district of Tokyo, named after the god. I also quickly found that Japan's best beer (in my opinion) is also named after him.
He is one of the Shichifujin 七福神、seven lucky gods. But he is the only one of true Japanese origin, the others are either Hindu or Chinese. He is deaf and slightly crippled, but always in good cheer. He was originally the god of fishermen, but he has spread to merchants too. Once a year all 8,000,000 Shinto deities go to The Grand Shrine of Izumo 出雲大社、but Ebisu is deaf, so he does not hear. So during this period, he is the only god available for prays.
Recently in an attempt to both learn more about perceptions of Shinto and improve my Japanese, I have been making and using a questionnaire. One question I ask is "If you were starting a new business, which shrine would you visit?". My expected answer was Fushimi Inari 伏見稲荷、because it is know nationwide as a place of good luck in business. In fact most of Japan's big and small corporations erect Tori Gates (Shrine gates) there. The long pathway of these gates climbing the mountain is one of Kyoto's biggest tourist spots. But many of the people I asked, especially Kyoto born business owners said Ebisu Jinja 恵比寿神社. I was very surprised to find this little shrine was less than five minutes from my apartment and near to places I often visit. This year I am trying to work less for schools and create a few little businesses, so it seemed that Ebisu was calling me, So I payed him a visit today.
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| Some wallets left at the shrine for good luck. |
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| There is an image of Ebisu on this tori gate, below it is a small basket, visiters try to throw coins into the basket. |
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| One of the first plum blossoms to bloom on the tree at Ebisu Shrine. |
