I remember a couple years back someone told me that Billiken was a devil or demon of sorts. Just this past weekend I saw another Billiken statue in Osaka. I found it odd, why would there be little devil statues hidden throughout one of Japan's largest cities? So I decided to investigate.
Billiken in the Dormy Inn Lobby - Namba, Osaka
In 1912 Billiken came to Japan. He was brought to Luna Park in Shinsekai, Osaka. Shinsekai means "New World" in English and was an amusement park created in 1912 to model both New York City and Paris. My only experience there has told me that the place has seen better days. Credited as being the most dangerous area of Osaka, there is a large gambling problem and countless homeless and prostitutes littering the streets. Even though it is considered dangerous by Japanese standards, I would venture any trip during the day to be pretty safe as long as your not throwing your wallet around. Act like you would in any neighborhood in America, and I see it no more dangerous. Leave your wallet at the ramen shop and you may not get it back however.
A quick stroll around the streets and you will see Billiken around every corner. In front of restaurants, stores and pachinko parlors. So was Shinsekai once a city of sin that the devil soon forgot?
As it turns out, Billiken was born in St. Louis Missouri, U.S.A. in 1908. Billiken appeared in a dream of a woman named Florence Pretz, an art teacher and illustrator. Characterized by elf like ears, a small patch of hair on head, short legs and mischievous smile Billiken became known as a symbol of good luck. The only thing luckier than buying a doll of Billiken, was to have one given to you. Soon to become a wild fad of the early 1900s and a symbol of Americana in Japan for the amusement park in Shinsekai.
In Luna park a wooden statue of Billiken was enshrined as "The God of Things As They Ought To Be". Unfortunately, this slice of history went missing when the amusement park closed in 1923. However, you can see a replica in the Tsutenkaku tower in Shinsekai on the 5th floor, and countless images are near impossible to miss by just opening your eyes while walking down the decrepit steets of Shinsekai. Once and a while you may even see Billiken sitting somewhere far from his roots in other wards of Osaka or even in Kobe City. Billiken is a Symbol of Osaka as much as the Hachiko dog statue is of Tokyo.
If you find him, it may be wise to rub his feet and wish for luck. For he is "The God of Things As They Ought To Be."
