The Story of EBISU - Episode 2: The God Who Caught Destiny with a Smile

This is a completely original KAMIYO special episode that fills the “void” left unrecorded in the history books of Japanese mythology.

We weave the hidden, true tale of the gods here.

Welcome to the abyssal world of Japanese mythology.

Prologue: The Deformed Prince Washed Ashore

On the mystical shores of "Tokoyo no Kuni" (The Eternal Land), where even the flow of time is gentle.

Placed in a reed boat, having drifted across the Sea of Chaos for hundreds or perhaps thousands of years, Hiruko (The Leech Child) had washed ashore on its golden sands.

Once an unfinished infant lacking bones and unable to stand.

However, when the reed boat that had protected him finally rotted away, what stood up from within was a young god with sturdy arms and thick legs that firmly planted themselves upon the earth.

The harsh sea winds had forged his body, and the primordial mana (divine energy) sleeping at the bottom of the sea had formed the "bones" he had lacked.

Standing at the water's edge, he looked at his own large palms and clenched them tightly.

"...They move. My body moves by my own will."

He raised his head and looked up at the endlessly expansive blue sea and the shining sun.

The despair of being abandoned by his parents. The lonely drift.

For an ordinary life, it was a cruel destiny that would easily lead one to curse the world and become a vengeful spirit (onryo).

Yet, his soul was purer than the ocean's sparkle and boundlessly clear.

"It is wonderful to be alive!"

The young man broke into a wide smile.

No one yet knew that this immensely bright smile—later called the "Ebisu-gao" (The Smiling Face of Ebisu)—would become the sun that illuminated the masses throughout Japan.

Chapter 1: The Fishing Rod and the Red Sea Bream, The Nobility of Labor

The young man came to call himself "Ebisu."

It meant "The one who comes from the outer sea, bringing good fortune."

Unlike the gods of Takamagahara (The High Plain of Heaven), he did not use magic to snap his fingers and create gold or castles out of thin air.

All he possessed was a single "fishing rod" crafted from a tree branch dropped by a seabird.

"Well then, shall I go and have the sea share its life with me again today?"

Every day, Ebisu sat by the water's edge and cast his fishing line.

He knew the joy of "waiting." For him, who had drifted on the sea for hundreds of years in a reed boat, the time spent conversing with the waves and enjoying the back-and-forth with the fish was a supreme amusement.

Plop.

The line pulled. When Ebisu forcefully jerked the rod, a massive, brilliantly colored "Red Sea Bream" broke the surface and leaped into the air.

The sea bream fit perfectly into Ebisu's arms, gently wagging its tail fin as if it had willingly come to be caught.

Holding the sea bream under his arm, Ebisu looked toward the sun and let out a hearty, booming laugh: "Wahahaha!"

Why does he, who would later become the foremost of the Seven Lucky Gods, hold a "fishing rod" and a "sea bream"?

It is because he is the god who embodies the nobility of not acquiring unearned wealth effortlessly, but of "sweating by one's own efforts, thanking the bounty of nature, and working with a smile."

"True fortune lies only beyond honest labor."

That was the absolute philosophy Ebisu had derived from his own grueling experiences.

Chapter 2: The Hard-of-Hearing God, The Vow of the Caretaker God (Rusugami)

Before long, human settlements gradually began to form near the beach where Ebisu lived.

Ebisu taught the humans how to catch fish, how to weave nets, and how to pray in gratitude to the sea. When he smiled, the sea grew calm, and the nets caught more fish than they could hold. The people passionately loved him as the "God of Bountiful Catches and Good Fortune" (Tairyo Tsuifuku).

Then, one day.

A divine wind blew from Takamagahara.

It was the signal for the gathering of Kannazuki (The Month of Gods), calling all the gods across the land to assemble in Izumo.

Considering Ebisu's lineage (the firstborn of Izanagi and Izanami), he was naturally a being who should sit at the seat of honor in that council as a high-ranking god.

However, Ebisu simply kept his fishing line cast on the beach, showing no intention of moving.

The village elder found this strange and asked.

"Lord Ebisu, all the other gods have headed for Izumo. Are you not going?"

Ebisu, still smiling warmly, tapped his own ear with a finger.

"Hmm? What was that? The sound of the waves and everyone's laughter is so pleasant, I can't hear the difficult summons of the gods at all. Wahahaha!"

This is the origin of the folklore that says, "Lord Ebisu is hard of hearing."

But it was not that he truly could not hear.

He simply had absolutely no interest in "power" or the "politics of the gods."

While the other gods leave their lands empty, the humans left behind feel anxious. That is exactly why he would remain on this beach and continue to protect the people's lives with a smile.

"Even during Kannazuki, I will be here acting as the Caretaker God (Rusugami), so everyone can work and laugh in peace."

Ebisu chose the muddy, earthy smiles of the people on the ground over the glory of the heavens.

Chapter 3: Encounter with a Foreign God, The Dawn of the Seven Lucky Gods

The morning after a storm, a god dressed in foreign attire washed ashore on Ebisu's beach.

A stout god carrying a large sack on his back and holding a magical mallet (Uchide-no-Kozuchi). He was a god who would later be known as Daikokuten, or syncretized with Okuninushi.

"Well, well, unknown god. That was a terrible storm. You must be hungry. Let's grill this sea bream and eat!"

Far from being wary, Ebisu welcomed him with a beaming smile, built a fire himself, and treated him to the fish.

The foreign god marveled at Ebisu's boundless cheerfulness and the "depth of the sea that forgives all" lying behind his eyes.

"I have never seen a god with such pure energy of 'Fortune' as you. Just who are you?"

To Daikokuten's question, Ebisu answered matter-of-factly.

"Me? I am someone who was once thrown away by the world. But that is exactly why I know. Just being alive is pure profit. Even at the bottom of despair, the seeds of laughter are lying around."

Daikokuten bowed his head deeply before Ebisu.

Later, "Gods of Fortune" arriving from various countries across the sea (such as Bishamonten, Benzaiten, and Hotei) would ride together on a single ship (the Treasure Ship) to form the team known as the "Seven Lucky Gods" (Shichifukujin).

Among them, Ebisu is the only "Native God of Japan."

Japan's firstborn son, once abandoned, became the leader (the foremost) who attracted and united even foreign gods with his overwhelming power of affirmation and his smile.

Chapter 4: The Miracle of a Smile, The Ebisu Face Calms the Waves

As the seasons turned, a massive tsunami of unprecedented scale threatened to strike the beach Ebisu loved.

A wave like a black wall approached, and the people cried and screamed in despair.

"It's over! The sea is angry!"

Amidst the panicking people, only Ebisu stepped out to the water's edge, carrying his usual fishing rod on his shoulder.

He looked up at the looming giant tsunami, and instead of running away, he raised his fishing rod high into the sky.

"Hey! Sea! Wind! Why are you so angry?! If you wrinkle your brow like that, your fortune will run away!"

And then, he smiled the greatest, brightest "Ebisu-gao" of his life, illuminating the world.

"Wahahahaha!! Come on, laugh! Fortune comes to the laughing gate!!"

The wave emitted from that smile became overwhelming "Yang" energy, shaking space itself.

A miracle occurred.

The moment the black tsunami touched Ebisu's smile, it smoothly lowered its height as if a curse had been broken. By the time it reached the beach, it had transformed into gentle white waves carrying a bountiful school of fish.

Overwhelming power of affirmation.

No violence or despair could withstand his "smile"; they were neutralized and reversed into fortune.

The people prostrated themselves at Ebisu's feet, praising him while shedding tears of joy.

Chapter 5: The Eternal Vow of the God of Fortune

Night.

While the people held a banquet, their lively voices celebrating the bountiful catch echoing around, Ebisu looked up at the starry sky alone.

Beyond his gaze lay the center of the distant Oyashima (The Great Eight Islands), where his parents, Izanagi and Izanami, surely were.

They must be desperately creating the land, birthing the gods, and fighting the heavy pressure of the world right now.

"Father, Mother. Please, do not blame yourselves."

Ebisu spoke to the stars, gently stroking the sea bream tucked under his arm.

"I am not your 'first failure.' The strength of your love was simply a little too much to fit into a form. ...That is why I am living so happily."

Ebisu knew.

The path of the "Birth of the Land" and "Birth of the Gods" his parents were about to walk would never be a smooth one; it would be a harsh destiny sometimes smeared with blood and tears.

"If the two of you are to create the framework of the nation and lay down strict laws... then from this distant seashore, I will pick up the sorrows that spill over and laugh them all away."

If bearing the burden of strict history and the nation was the role of his legitimate younger siblings like Amaterasu and Susanoo...

Then staying close to the nameless masses, turning the sweat of their daily labor into smiles, and granting them unconditional "Fortune" was his role as the abandoned firstborn son.

Ebisu gripped his fishing rod tightly again and grinned broadly.

"Well then, tomorrow will be another huge catch! Wahahahaha!!"

That hearty laughter, blending with the sound of the waves, transcended time and continues to echo in the street corners of Japan to this very day.

Prosperity in business, bountiful catches, and good fortune.

The unyielding hero who overturned tragedy with a smile: Ebisu.

Today, too, he holds his red sea bream, wearing his beaming Ebisu face, catching fortune for the people trying their hardest to live.