Another sight-seeing tour to Kamakura today. I signed Jenny and myself up for a free tour offered by Fleet and Family Services on base. I figured it would entail visits to the tourist “hotspots” Jim and I had already seen, including Hachimangu Shrine and the Great Buddha (Daibutsu), but thought it would be good to have an experienced Japanese guide to explain things we had overlooked on our previous visit. Turns out this is a monthly tour, with an ever-changing itinerary. Because it is the beginning of the New Year, our guide informed us that today’s tour would be a pilgrimage to the Seven Gods of Good Fortune. Hopefully by visiting all seven gods at their respective shrines and temples around Kamakura, we will guarantee ourselves a year full of good fortune. I, for one, will take all the help I can get.
Ebisu, the god of fishermen, is also known as the god of prosperous commerce among merchants.
Jurōjin is the god of longevity.
Bishamon, the god of war, conquers evildoers with his spear.
Benten is the only female deity of the seven, and bestows eloquence and wisdom.
Daikoku, the god of wealth, has a large bag of treasures slung over his left shoulder.
Fukurokuju is the god of wealth and longevity (I guess he’s there in case Jurōjin and Daikoku can’t get the job done).
Hotei is the god of contentment and happiness, and everyone wants to rub his bare belly.
To prove (to ourselves? to friends? to family? to the gods?) that we had indeed visited all seven, we each purchased a shikishi board specifically designed for this pilgrimage (¥500) at the first shrine. We then had a monk at each stop stamp the board with his shrine or temple’s seal and write the date next to it in calligraphy (¥300 each). By the end of the tour, we both had a board suitable for framing (the stamps and calligraphy are beautiful) that can be displayed for the rest of the year. (Apparently any good fortune you get from making this pilgrimage expires at the end of the year, and you’ll have to do the whole thing over again next January.) So our free tour ended up costing Jenny and me each about $50 when we added up train fares to three stops in Kamakura, shrine admission fees, and stamp charges. I’m not too upset though—we were told that the money will be returned to us many times over this year now that we’ve paid homage to the Seven Gods of Good Fortune. I picked up a potential new English student on the tour…is that the beginning of my good fortune??
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