Daikokuten (大黒天) is a syncretic Japanese deity of fortune and wealth. Daikokuten originated from Mahākāla, the Buddhist version of the Hindu deity Shiva, conflated with the native Shinto god Ōkuninushi. [1][2]

It is dated 1704, which happens to be the year that the “Portrait of Nakamura Kuranosuke” owned by th Museum Yamato Bunkakan was painted by Korin, indicating that this perid was when the two men were the most intimate. There are numerous paintings of Daikokuten by Korin, however this one is the most highly valued.

Come celebrate the New Year with our first exhibition of 2024, Ebisu and Daikoku. Often enshrined side by side, “Ebisuten” (the God of prosperity and fishing) and “Daikokuten” (the God of wealth) have long functioned in Japanese daily life as symbols of good fortune, making this a most auspicious event.

Images, paintings, and other artwork of Daikokuten can be found everywhere in modern Japan, showing him alone, paired with Ebisu (considered his son in many traditions), or grouped with the Seven Lucky Gods. He appears on posters, key chains, mobile-phone accessories, toys for children, and many other commercial goods.

Daikokuten is the god of limitless prosperity. The crest of the helmet is in the form of Daikokuten's hammer, his most familiar attribute, which itself signifies wealth and prosperity. A helmet portraying another of the Shichi Fukujin (Seven Gods of Good Fortune) is also in the Metropolitan Museum's collection (acc. no. 36.25.163).

Daikokuten is generally famous as a god of luck. He is most familiar in Japan as a fat, smiling figure with a big sack over his left shoulder and a mallet in his right hand, standing on bales tawara 俵 full of rice. He was particularly popular in the Edo period, as one of the seven gods of good fortune * shichifukujin 七福神.

Slide 43. Daikokuten is one of Japan’s most widely recognized & cherished divinities. Artwork of the pot-bellied, jovial, human-like deity are everywhere, showing him alone, paired with Ebisu (Slide 34), or grouping him with Bishamonten & Benzaiten (Slides 28-29) or with the Seven Lucky Gods (Slide 31). As the god of wealth, luck, business ...

Title: DAIKOKUTEN (God of Wealth) Creator: Ogata Korin; Creator Lifespan: 1658/1716; Date Created: Dated 1704, Edo period; Title (Japanese): 大黒天図; Period (Japanese): 江戸時代 寳永元年（1704） Artist...

One of the "seven deities of good fortune" ( shichifukujin ), Daikokuten is most commonly seen carrying a "wealth-pounding" wooden mallet in his right hand, holding a treasure sack over his left shoulder, and standing upon rice bales.

This image deviates from the more common Japanese portrayals of Daikokuten, which are generally portly, carry a broad smile, stand on two bales of rice, and hold a small mallet and large treasure sack slung over the shoulder. This statue measures 171 centimeters and is the oldest extant image of Daikokuten in Japan.