Hotei, known in China as Budai, is a Buddhist figure traditionally depicted as a rotund, laughing monk who carries a large cloth sack said to hold his few possessions and treats he shares with children. He is counted among Japan's Seven Lucky Gods (Shichifukujin) and is popularly associated with contentment, generosity, and good fortune, though he is not a deity of orthodox Buddhist doctrine but a folk figure sometimes linked to Maitreya, the future Buddha. His cheerful image is widely used in art and popular culture as a symbol of abundance and happiness, reflecting folk tradition rather than formal religious authority.