Since the middle period, Miroku bodhisattva has been depicted with a paunchy appearance similar to that of Hotei in pictures and those pictures have been commonly placed in major Buddhist buildings of temples in China.
中世以降、中国では布袋になぞらえた太鼓腹の姿が弥勒仏の姿形として描かれるようになり、寺院の主要な仏堂に安置されるのが通例となった。