Budai

"Cloth Bag got his nickname because he wandered from town to town carrying a cloth bag full of treasures that he shared freely with children." The Conversation: "his round belly represents his generosity and abundance, and also symbolizes the positive qualities of wealth and fertility." Most of the representations are of Japanese versions, but he is also popular in China, Vietnam and Korea. He is said to have lived around the 10th century CE in the Wuyue kingdom (one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of Chinese history).

He is also sometimes considered a manifestation of Maitreya, a future Buddha. He made the claim in his death poem that he wrote just before he died: 

"Maitreya, the veritable Maitreya, divides his body into ten

thousand million parts. From time to time, (appearing among

men) he proclaims (the Truth) to the men of that era, but they

naturally do not recognize him."

I was once driving by LaGuardia, and there was a sign over a pedestrian overpass, "Maitreya is coming!" L. Ron Hubbard suggested he might be Maitreya. He is the founder of Scientology. Some Dalits in Indian wonder if Ambedkar was Maitreya. 

"Bernard Faure summarizes this merging of local legend and Chan tradition by explaining, "One strategy in Chan for domesticating the occult was to transform thaumaturges into tricksters by playing down their occult powers and stressing their this-world aspect..."" (Wikipedia:

In a Journal Article from 1933 Budai is called Pu-tai, Hotai,  Mi-lo Fo, or Ch'ang-t'ing-tz. Budai is one of the seven gods of good luck in Japan:

Ebisu, the patron saint of fishermen, 

Daikokuten, a Buddhist version of Shiva.

Bishamonten, another Hindu god, a god of warfare. 

Benzaiten, goddess of speech, the arts, and learning. She is also named in the Sutra Of Golden Light.

Jurōjin is the god of longevity. 

Fukurokuju another god of longevity. 

Mythology can turn and twist in many ways and Budai is sometimes seen as Hyottoko, who can transform into Otafuku, an ugly prostitute who throws black beans on the New Year to chase away bad luck.