See also: Heavenly Realm, Gods and Celestials, Seven Lucky Gods
The story of Takuan and the celestial marten Ta-Guan remains silent about the exact structure of the Heavens. It is only known that at its very center lies the palace of the Jade Emperor, where gods and celestials reside. Some gods have settled nearby.
The further away from the palace, the more the Heavens are filled with cloudy mist. This mist gradually transitions into the Heavenly Sea, requiring Heavenly ships for travel upon it.
The gods have constructed a number of ships, which were rarely used and mostly for recreational excursions. Therefore, it is not surprising that during the Great Storm and the exodus from the Heavens, not all celestials found a place aboard the Heavenly ships. On these ships, the surviving gods set sail and soon became lost in the boundless Heavenly Sea.
In the pages of ‘Takuan from Koto,’ the ship of Seven Lucky Gods stands out prominently.
The seven gods, who held the power of magical fortune spread throughout the Earthen Realm, heeded the Jade Emperor's requests and turned their ship around, returning from the cloudy waves of the Heavenly Sea.
Demons called their brethren from the farthest corners of the world, and soon the Heavens were teeming with demons of all stripes and shades. [...] One by one, the gods jumped out of the Imperial Palace and raced towards their heavenly ships. Yanwang was the last, covering their retreat.
Finally, all the gods boarded the ships and set sail, heading away from the realm now inhabited by demons.
So, all the gods and celestials piled into their heavenly ships and went as far from the world as they could – which was quite far – while mortals who inhabited the Earthen Realm had no choice but to accept their fate.
In return, the Jade Emperor demanded only one thing: that the monks allow the celestials to settle in their prayers. After all, only the smallest fraction of the celestials managed to fit on board the heavenly ships, which were mostly packed with frightened gods, and the Heavens themselves were in ruins after the storm that the demons raised.
Kamunushi monks wore five dots on their heads, forming the constellation of the Heavenly Ship of Lucky Gods, and new dots were added to the disciples’ heads every year.