Geho Hashigo Zuri (Daikoku, God of Wealth, Shaving Head of Fukurokuju, God of Longevity)

Date17th century

Label TextThe syncretic god known in Japanese as Daikoku is a version of the Hindu deity Mahākāla, a wrathful emanation of the god Shiva, incorporated into the Buddhist pantheon as a guardian figure, transformed in China, and subsequently introduced to Japan in the 800s. In Japan, he became associated with the native Shintō deity known as Ōkuninushi-no-kami and came to be counted as one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune. He is commonly shown carrying a large sack in his left hand and a mallet in his right, while standing atop two bales of rice. In Ōtsu-e, he is often shown climbing a ladder to shave the large head of Jurōjin, another of the Seven Gods, who is derived from the Chinese Daoist god of longevity.

Object number49.251

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Deities & Demons: Supernatural in Japanese Art, October 20, 2022 – May 18, 2025 (on view December 7, 2024 – May 18, 2025).Published ReferencesFuller, Richard E. "Japanese Art in the Seattle Art Museum: An Historical Sketch." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1960 ("Presented in commemoration of the Hundredth Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and the United States of America"), no. 204.

Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection

Dimensions13 1/16 x 9 in. (33.1 x 22.9 cm)

MediumInk and color on paper with clay and shell wash