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Hiruko was the first child of Izanagi and Izanami, gods who later gave birth to the sun goddess Amaterasu. Hiruko was born without bones, hence his name, which means "Leech-child." Hiruko could not survive on land, so he was sent adrift on the ocean in a reed basket. Eventually he washed ashore, overcame many hardships, grew a skeleton, and became the Laughing God Ebisu, the Japanese god of Fishermen, good luck, workingmen and the guardian of the health of small children. He is usually depicted as a jolly fat man holding a fishing rod and a large sea bass, or as a jellyfish.

Here, however, Hiruko has taken the shape of a giant Octopus, with coloring similar to the wolf-form of his younger sister Amaterasu, surrounded by the bountiful life of the sea.