Among Japan's beloved Seven Lucky Gods — the Shichifukujin — Ebisu stands out as the one with the warmest, most approachable personality. He is almost always depicted as a stout, cheerful figure in court robes and a tall black hat, holding a fishing rod in one hand and a large red sea bream under his other arm. His face is almost permanently arranged in a wide, open smile — not the serene calm of the Buddha, but the genuine delight of someone who caught a very good fish. He is the god of fishermen, sailors, and merchants, and he presides over commerce conducted with honesty and good humor. His name gives us the word "Yebisu" — the famous Japanese beer brand chose him as their mascot for exactly this reason.

Ebisu has an unusual origin story in Japanese mythology. He is identified in some traditions with Hiruko, the first child of the creator deities Izanagi and Izanami, born without bones and set adrift on the sea. Despite this inauspicious start — or perhaps because of the resilience it required — he eventually thrived. The image of a deity who overcame a difficult birth to become the embodiment of cheerful abundance has deep resonance. Ebisu is also notable as the only member of the Seven Lucky Gods considered to be of genuinely Japanese (Shinto) origin; the others are imported from Chinese, Buddhist, or Hindu traditions. In October, known as Kannazuki (the "Month of No Gods"), when all the deities gather at Izumo Grand Shrine, Ebisu is said to stay behind, too absorbed in his fishing to attend — which is why he's also called "the god who stays." He is a god for those who love their work too much to leave it.