| Description
| Figure of Hotei - a smiling bronzed old Japanese man, wearing a large patterned Kimono with green trousers. Right hand - holding a fan to his head. Left hand - holding a large bag (same decoration as his Kimono). There is a child at his feet, sitting on the bag, reaching out and looking up at Hotei. The child is wearing a blue Kimono over red.
(Hotei - In Japanese mythology, one of the seven Gods of Luck. He is depicted as a cheerful, contented Buddhist Monk with a large exposed belly, frequently shown in the company of children. Tradition relates him to a Chinese Monk called Pu-Iai, who because of his benevolent nature came to be regarded as an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Maitreya (the future Buddha, Miroku in Japanese) but whose large protruding stomach led to his being caricatured as the "Laughing Buddha".
Previously Numbered : Item No. 503 and 83 : 5 : 59
This Hotei was the subject of a colour postcard published on behalf of John Hastie Museum, Strathaven |
