Smiling Ebisu

Shot at Ebara Jinja, a Shinto shrine in Shinagawa, Tokyo.

A stone statue is stationed at the entrance of this shrine. It is Ebisu, a Japanese god of fishermen and luck. He has a fishing rod in his right hand and a sea bream in his left hand. Because he could catch a thing, he is beaming happily.

He is one of the Seven Lucky Gods. Unlike other the Seven Lucky Gods, he originates purely from this country without any Hindu or Chinese influence. Anyway, he kept smiling without reference to be watched by the human beings. I felt I could hear him laughing.