Highlights of the Carvings: West Side 歓喜院聖天堂の彫刻西壁

Official explanation

Large panels portray a scene in which three of the Seven Gods of Fortune (shichifukujin) are engaged in the strategy game of go, while children play with the gods’ belongings in the background. On the center panel, the deities Hotei and Ebisu are absorbed in the game, as the deity Daikokuten looks on. Hotei is the guardian of children and is portrayed as a bald man whose robes barely cover his generous belly. He carries a large sack, which the children are pulling at on the left panel. Ebisu is the deity of prosperity and the patron of fishermen.

The children on the right panel carry Ebisu’s fish as they play on the rice bales belonging to Daikokuten, the deity of commerce and the protector of crops. The game of go is one of the four classical accomplishments of Chinese scholars, along with painting, calligraphy, and playing the zither.

Read the full explanation

Under the eaves, a child escapes from a hole in a large water jar, as the water flows out around him. While the other children had panicked, one child had calmly broken the jar to free his friend. The story reminds the viewer to stay calm in a crisis. Another interpretation is that no matter how precious an object is, human life is more valuable.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.