Description
Hand carved suar wood Hotei. 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.”
Budai was a Chinese monk who is often identified with and venerated as Maitreya Buddha in Chan Buddhism. With the spread of Chan Buddhism, he also came to be venerated in Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. He is said to have lived around the 10th century CE in the Wuyue kingdom. His name literally means “cloth sack”, and refers to the bag that he is conventionally depicted as carrying as he wanders aimlessly.
Shichi-fuku-jin, (Japanese: “Seven Gods of Luck”), group of seven popular Japanese deities, all of whom are associated with good fortune and happiness. The seven are drawn from various sources but have been grouped together from at least the 16th century. They are Bishamon, Daikoku, Ebisu, Fukurokuju, Jurōjin, Hotei, and the only female in the group, Benten.
Dimensions: 6″ x 12″ x 11.25″
**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.
