Fukurokuju

Fukurokuju is the wise kami and Shinto-Taoist deity of the three supreme blessings of human existence in traditional Japan: harmonious happiness (fuku), material and professional prosperity (roku), and venerable longevity with vigorous health (ju). An indispensable member of the acclaimed group of the Seven Gods of Fortune (Shichifukujin), he results from the medieval mystical syncretism of the Chinese Three Auspicious Stars (Sanxing) and the star Canopus of the South Pole, fused into a single charismatic and affable divine figure. He is visually distinguished by his famous elongated head rising upward, a cranial protuberance which, in the mystical anatomy of Neidan, represents the extraordinary expansion of the Niwan Gong energy center and the centuries-long accumulation of cosmic wisdom. He walks through villages and towns wearing the flowing robes of a scholar, carrying a gnarled staff tied with the scroll of destinies and medical prescriptions, accompanied by a graceful white crane (tsuru) and a thousand-year-old minogame tortoise with a tail of green seaweed. He blesses homes with marital concord, abundance in professions and venerated maturity with lasting spiritual peace.

11 min read · Reviewed on September 28, 2026 · How we research

The elongated head, the staff with scroll, the crane and the turtle

Primary sources

• Sima Qian, Shiji. translation: Burton Watson, 1961.
• Zhang Tingyu, Ming Shi. translation: L. Carrington Goodrich, 1976.
• Anônimo, Shichifukujin Engi. translation: Miyata Noboru, 1977.
• Gizan Tosa, Butsuzōzui. translation: Luigi Bernabò Brea, 1979.

Studies

• Miyata Noboru, Shichifukujin Shinko. Hanawa Shobo, 1977.
• Carmen Blacker, The Catalpa Bow: A Study of Shamanistic Practices in Japan. George Allen & Unwin, 1975.
• Henri Maspero, Taoism and Chinese Religion. University of Massachusetts Press, 1981.
• E. T. C. Werner, Myths and Legends of China. George G. Harrap & Co., 1922.