Fude Zhengshen (Earth God of Wealth and Merit)

Tags: Earth God | god | print

Fude Zhengshen is the Earth God of Wealth and Merit. The worship of Earth God dated back to ancient times and originated in the fear and respect of nature. The Land God originally worshipped is not quite the same as today’s Earth God. The God people worship nowadays is a low ranking Underworld deity who is in charge of spirits of a certain piece of land. It is also the patron saint of a village, equivalent to a village chief in the mortal world. The Earth God is worshipped in temples all over the land and is one of the gods that most closely related to people's lives. Engraved on the print, on both sides of the Earth God, are the Judge of Hades and hideous devil. It seems to promote the Earth God to the status of Lord of the Underworld. 

Printmaking
28 x21.5 cm

National Museum of History