One of the Seven
はい、クイズタイムです。「七福神」の七つを言えますか？
今日は印刷物製造者の宮坂さんと色々戸倉上山田温泉の活性化について、議論した。宮坂さんは戸倉上山田温泉のハイキング・サイクリングマップを一緒に作ってくれたので、本人は温泉に関心を持ってくれています。
色々な話の中で、「七福神巡り」の話題が出た。七福神は何となく知っているけど、詳しい事は知識不足です。宮坂さんに親切に説明してくれたし、二人ともが長野市に用事があって、一緒に行きました。そうすると、参考に善光寺七福神巡りの一部を案内してくれた。写真は一番の刈萱山西光寺の寿老人の像です。（あっ、先のクイズの答えの１つが出てしまいました。）
去年はこの戸倉上山田温泉で「福々巡り」のコースを紹介するパンフが出来ました。いくつかのお寺や神社が載っています。でも、正直って、チラシがただな割にあまり人気がない。
善光寺七福神巡りは恵比寿や弁天さん等（あっ、もう２つがばれてしまいました！）の七福神を触れるコースで、比較的に人気があって、注目を浴びているそうです。色紙は有料だし、七か所でスタンプを押していくけど、各寺社でまた払うそうです。それでも人気がある。
やはり、日本人の心の中で「七福神」のなじみがある。
戸倉上山田温泉の七福神巡りの設立には善光寺からヒントを頂けるかな？
さあ、残りの４つは分かりますか？大黒、福禄寿、毘沙門天、布袋と都七福神。
Last year, our onsen town, Togura-Kamiyamada, made a 'Fuku-Fuku Tour' flier showcasing our local religious sites. 'Fuku' means 'luck' and the tour refers to the Shichifukujin (7 Lucky Gods)Meguri tours common throughout Japan.
Our town's tour hasn't been very popular, and I discussed the matter with my buddy Miyasaka-san, a travel publication producer experienced in promoting tourist areas to travellers. He kindly took me to Nagano City to see the Zenkoji version. Along with some websurfing, I ended learning a lot more about the 7 Gods of Luck than I had intended.
If you've spent any amount of time in Japan, you've likely come across the Shichifukujin. All 7 bear a slight resemblance to the Stay Puft Marshmallow man with their pudgy builds and jovial expressions. The various members have individual characteristics -- a lute player here, a conehead there, a guy carrying a red snapper over there, etc. You'll often see them riding a 'takara-bune' boat carrying treasures. They're a cosmopolitan bunch, originating from not only Japan but China and India as well. They also have various religious backgrounds including Buddhist, Shintoist and, likely enough, Taoist.
Perhaps the most well-known of the 7 gods of luck is Ebisu. If you've ever had a Japanese beer, you may have run into him as Sapporo makes a beer named 'Ebisu'. He's the guy holding the red snapper, and his picture is on the label.
I could go into detail about the 7 gods, including what each one represents, but a) there is a lot of good info already on the web -- just google "shichifukujin"; and b) I'm still learning myself.
Anyways, Japanese people supposedly have an affinity for the 7 gods of luck and tours involving the shichifukujin are popular. The Zenkoji version features a sort of stamp rally based on a collection of temples and shrines with images of the gods on their grounds. For example, pictured is a statue of Jurojin near the entrance of Karukayasan Temple.
If Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen can configure a walking tour based on the 7 gods of luck, we should be a bit more successful in interesting travellers to come.
