Hotei with coins

The miniature sculpture - netsuke or okimono "Hotei with coins" - is carved from the horn of an elk by hand.
According to Japanese mythology, Hotei is the god of fun and well-being, belonging to the pantheon of the "seven gods of happiness".

According to one version (Chinese), the Chinese monk Tsitsa, who lived in the 9-10thth centuries, became the prototype of Hotei. Having achieved spiritual enlightenment, he renounced his high status and began to lead an ascetic lifestyle, wandering around the provinces of China and communicating with ordinary people. And wherever a beggar wandering monk appeared, everything around was filled with positivity: luck came to people, and their well-being improved.

He got his nickname from the name of a cloth bag – hotei, in which he kept all his few belongings. When the townspeople asked what he was carrying in the bag, the monk said that "the whole world is there".

Hotei is one of the most popular characters for netsuke. Most often, the figures depict Hotei holding coins (a bunch of coins), a staff, a pearl, a fan driving away grief, a bag of wealth.

The Hotei figurine with coins symbolizes wealth, abundance and a happy life.