Hand Carved Hotei Mask Suar Wood

Hand carved suar wood Hotei mask. Also known as happy Buddha, laughing Buddha. With a big big smile to spread the joy into everyone’s life.

Hotei, is one of the Shichi-fuku-jin (“Seven Gods of Luck”) in Japanese mythology. This popular figure is depicted frequently in contemporary crafts as a cheerful, contented Buddhist monk with a large exposed belly. Tradition relates him to a Chinese monk called Pu-tai, who because of his benevolent nature came to be regarded as an incarnation of the bodhisattva (the future Buddha) Maitreya (Miroku in Japanese) but whose large protruding stomach led to his being caricatured as the “Laughing Buddha.”

Dimensions: 3.5″ x 8″ x 8″

**The botanical name for Suar wood is Saman Samanea. Also called Monkey Pod or Rain Tree in some countries. These trees are easy recognized by their umbrella canopy. The tree usually reaches heights of 50 – 80 feet. It is NOT endangered, and fast growing tropical hardwood with crisscrossed interlocking grains. Which makes it not too heavy but extremely strong. People loves this wood because of its great resistant to decay and dry-wood termites.