Antique sculpture "Daikoku with mallet and rice". Porcelain, workshops of Kutani. Japan, twentieth century

Daikoku in mythology is a deity - the patron saint of the hearth, the guarantee of happiness, wealth, protection from evil energy.

He is depicted with a mallet in his hands and a sack of rice; sometimes his companion, a rat, sits there, which is also one of the fortunate symbols of Japan. God Daikoku is a life-lover, merry fellow, kind soul, loves dancing. During the dance, he beats with a mallet, which drives away evil creatures, and invites prosperity, a dream, and hope into the house. Rice in his bags is wealth from heaven, the rat must gnaw holes in his bags so that the rice falls into the hands of those who ask for help.

There is no rat here, often the craftsmen mean that it sits inside the bag. Daikoku stands on the sacks in this case, but can often be seen carrying these magic sacks, sometimes he just dances with a mallet.