大黒天

See also: 大黑天

Japanese

Kanji in this term
大	黒	天
だい Grade: 1	こく Grade: 2	てん Grade: 1
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
大黑天 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Middle Chinese 大黑天 (literally “Great Black Deva”)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [da̠iko̞kɯ̟tẽ̞ɴ]

Proper noun

大(だい)黒(こく)天(てん) • (Daikokuten)

(Buddhism, Shinto) Daikokuten, Japanese name for the Buddhist god Mahākāla
Synonym: 大黒 (Daikoku)

Usage notes

Daikokuten is the god of wealth, commerce and trade. In Japanese folk tradition, he is one of the seven gods of good fortune (七福神(しちふくじん) (shichifukujin)). In Shinto, he is syncretized with the deity Ōkuninushi. He is often depicted paired with Ebisu in statuary or in the form of masks on the walls of small retail shops. Daikokuten is also a god of the kitchen.

Coordinate terms

福禄寿 (Fukurokuju): god of happiness, wealth and longevity.
寿老人 (Jurōjin): the god of longevity.
恵比須 / 恵比寿 / 夷 / 戎 (Ebisu): god of fishers or merchants, often depicted carrying a sea bream.
布袋 (Hotei): the fat and happy god of abundance and good health.
弁才天 / 弁財天 (べんざいてん, Benzaiten): The Japanese name for the Hindu and Buddhist goddess Saraswati. The goddess of knowledge, art, beauty, music, language, wisdom, poetry and rivers.
吉祥天 (Kitsushōten): the goddess of happiness, charm and beauty, of fertility, nature, and of human creativity, and the patronesses of joy, amusement and festivities.
毘沙門 / 毘沙門天 / 多聞天 (Bishamonten): the god of warriors.