Benten Card

Description: A trading card sold by the Tenshodo. On one side is a voluptuous bard.

Historical Background
During the New Year Rivalry Event (for New Years 2005), there were 7 Rare/Ex Tenshodo trading cards that could be obtained by checking the Overturned Soil. They were: Benten Card, Bishamon Card, Daikoku Card, Ebisu Card, Fukurokuju Card, Hotei Card, Jurojin Card. These cards are all named after the Seven Lucky Gods/Seven Fortune Gods (Shichifukujin) from Japanese folklore. It should be noted, some of these are imports from India and China. Daikokuten, Bishamonten, and Benzaiten were imported and translated from India, while Hotei, Jurojin, and Fukurokuju were imported and translated from China. Ebisu is the only one indigenous to Japan. Each of the Seven Lucky Gods has a traditional feature or group they are attributed to. They were often depicted sailing in the Takarabune (the "Phantom Treasure Ship"). According to tradition, this ship would sail into towns on New Years Day and give amazing gifts to people worthy of receiving them. In Japan, children are given red envelopes with the Takarabune depicted on it containing money.

Benten (an abbreviation for Benzaiten) was the goddess of knowledge, speech, music, literature, art, and beauty. She is the only female among the Seven Lucky Gods. Benzaiten is an import of the Hindu goddess Sarasvati. "Voluptuous bard", seen in the item description, would be an apt description of Sarasvati.