Guardian deities

Kyōto's machiya are guarded by three deities, one warding off evil spirits and two bringing luck and guarding the house from fire.

Shōki-san's figurine is fixed on the outside of the house, most commonly on the roof of the ground floor's awnings. He is usually depicted with a full beard and holding a sword in his right hand. Also, he has a little belly, which makes him a bit more gentle-looking. He protects the house from evil spirits, fending them off with his sword. He is also one of the dolls used in the Boys' May Festival, although the image of Shōki-san originally came from China.

It is said that Emperor Xuanzong (685–762) of the T'ang Dynasty suffered from a severe fever during which he dreamt that evil demons were doing mischief in the imperial palace. Without warning, a big man appeared out of nowhere and devoured all the demons. When the emperor asked for his name, the man replied: "I am Shōki from the Qin-mountains." He told emperor Xuanzong how he had failed the civil servants examination and had committed suicide inside the palace. The emperor who was incumbent at that time, however, had been kind enough to have him buried and now he came back to repay this act of kindness. The next day, when Xuanzong awoke, his fever was mysteriously gone. He had a portrait of Shōki made and from that time on, he was the deity who fends of evil spirits.

As machiya are traditionally made out of materials such as wood and paper, their flammability is very high. A lot of attention is hence mandatory when handling fire. To protect from uncontrolled blazes, one often finds a lucky charm from Atago shrine. On it, the words "Hi no yōjin" (火迺要慎, although nowadays 火の用心 is more common) are written, reminding people to be careful about fire. The charm was put on a wall by the hearth, and can often still be found somewhere in the kitchen today. Because the shrine from which these charms come is called Atago shrine and because it is located on top of Mount Atago, close to Kyōto, they are referred to as atago-san in Kyōto.

Hotei is one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, but in Kyōto, he is also a protector from fire. This is not too surprising though, as in a city that was once built entirely from wood, no outbreak of a fire was good fortune. He appears as a fat buddha whose clothes cannot cover his big belly. He is laughing and carries a bag around with him, in which there are fortunes for those who believe in him. The bag also gave him his name, as the characters' literal translation is "cloth bag".

He is the messenger of a deity known as Sanbō kōjin, who was enshrined somewhere close to the hearth. Hotei figurines were then lined up next to it. Traditionally, a new figurine would be bought at each New Year's and put next to the existing ones, starting from the smallest figurine up to the biggest. If 7 years had passed without any misfortune, the figurines would be returned to a temple and the circle would start over. If, however, there was misfortune during those seven years, all figurines would be thrown into a river to be washed away together with the bad luck, and the circle would start again. 

Traditionally, Hotei-san figurines were made out of clay, with Fushimi being the most famous place to produce them.