Fat-Bellied Hotei

Manpukuji, Kyoto

Hotei is one of the seven Japanese gods of good luck, instantly recognizable by his fat belly and laughing good nature. He is thought to be based on a Chinese monk named Bu-dai, who became identified as an incarnation of Miroku, the Bodhisattva of the future. The modern statue is kept in the Tenno-den (Heavenly Kings Hall) of the temple.