Seven Gods of Fortune
The Seven Lucky Gods or Seven Gods of Fortune (七 福神, shichifukujin in Japanese) are believed to grant good luck and often have their place in netsuke engravings or in other representations. Amongst the seven, not all the gods are mythical characters, as there is one who is a historical figure.
They all began as remote and impersonal gods, but gradually became much closer canonical figures for certain professions and Japanese arts. During the course of its history, the mutual influence between gods has created confusion about which of them was the patron of certain professions. The worship of this group of gods is also due to the importance of the number seven in Japan, which is supposedly a bearer of good luck.
It is known that these deities have their origins in ancient gods of fortune: from the Hinduism practiced in Nepal and India (Benzaiten, Bishamonten, Daikokuten); and from the Chinese Taoism and Buddhism (Fukurokuju, Hotei, Jurojin), except for one (Ebisu) who has a Japanese ancestry.
These gods have been recognized as such for over a thousand years ago by a large number of followers. In the beginning, these gods were worshiped by merchants as the first two of them (Ebisu and Daikokuten) were gods of business and trade.
Subsequently, the other classes of the Japanese society looked for other gods that could correspond to their professions: so did Benzaiten, patron of the arts, Fukurokuju, patron of the sciences, and so on.
In ancient times, these gods were worshiped separately, but it rarely happens today – only when it is required for the god to act on behalf of the applicant.
The Seven Gods of Fortune started being mentioned as a collective by the year 1420 in Fushimi, in order to imitate the processions of the Daimyo, the feudal lords of pre-modern Japan.
It is said that the Buddhist priest Tenkai selected these gods after speaking with the shogun he served, Iemitsu Tokugawa, at the order of seeking whoever possessed the perfect virtues: longevity, fortune, popularity, sincerity, kindness, dignity and magnanimity.
Shortly after a famous artist of the time, Kano Yasunobu, was ordained to portray these gods for the first time ever.
...
Wikipedia