A statue of Japan's god of fortune has been pulled from the sea in the country's northeast, almost nine years after being swept away by the March 2011 tsunami.
On Tuesday, divers placed a net around Ebisu before hoisting him from a depth of five meters. The copper deity resurfaced relatively unscathed — save for a broken fishing rod in his right hand. He was found by construction workers last November, about 25 meters off the shore of Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture.
The locals have worshipped Ebisu ever since a statue was first erected on a cape in 1932. The god represents prosperity and fortune, making him especially popular with fishermen.
(Kenji Shirai / President of Fishery processing company)
"I hope the statue's return blesses us with a bountiful haul this year, just like in the old days."
Ebisu will be moved to Isuzu Shrine, where visitors can welcome his return.
On Tuesday, divers placed a net around Ebisu before hoisting him from a depth of five meters. The copper deity resurfaced relatively unscathed — save for a broken fishing rod in his right hand. He was found by construction workers last November, about 25 meters off the shore of Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture.
The locals have worshipped Ebisu ever since a statue was first erected on a cape in 1932. The god represents prosperity and fortune, making him especially popular with fishermen.
(Kenji Shirai / President of Fishery processing company)
"I hope the statue's return blesses us with a bountiful haul this year, just like in the old days."
Ebisu will be moved to Isuzu Shrine, where visitors can welcome his return.
◆sweep away 押し流す to completely destroy something or make something disappear
◆hoist 持ち上げる to raise, lift, or pull something up, especially using ropes
◆copper 銅 a soft reddish-brown metal that allows electricity and heat to pass through it easily, and is used to make electrical wires, water pipes etc. It is a chemical element: symbol Cu
◆deity 神 a god or goddess
◆resurface 再び水面に浮上する to appear again after being lost or missing
◆unscathed 無傷の not injured or harmed by something
◆bountiful 豊富な if something is bountiful, there is more than enough of it
◆haul 漁獲高 to pull something heavy with a continuous steady movement