Title:

お酒のみホテイ (osakenomi hotei)
“sake-drinking Hotei (god of luck)”

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This top depicts Hotei, one of the Seven Lucky Gods from Chinese folklore. In the West, he is known as the Laughing Buddha, and is often depicted as a cheerful fat bald man. Often shown entertaining others, here he is depicted drunk. The base in which the top is spun is shaped like a sake cup, and when the Hotei top finishes spinning, it looks like he has drunkenly fallen over.

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Hiroi Michiaki: Ah. This is the drunken Hotei (god of luck).

Mrs. Hiroi: Yeah.

Everyone: (laughs)

Mrs. Hiroi: The drunken Hotei is intoxicated.

Hiroi: This is the god of luck Hotei from the Seven Lucky Gods. He’s drunk, and if you spin him, he staggers about inside of a sake cup. And in the end he flops and falls over.