Daruma Dolls History & Symbolism

Daruma Dolls　だるま

Symbolism | History | Festivals | Buy Daruma

Daruma dolls at Shorinzan Daruma Temple in Takasaki

You are about to start a big project? You have a big dream that you truly wish to come true? You wish that the new year becomes a successful one or at least one that passes without any major hassles and setbacks? A Daruma doll is your perfect companion for achieving all that. Just place the Daruma into a spot in your house that you pass frequently. Whenever you spot it, it will remind you of your big plans or at least give you a nod on keeping up with your daily struggles.

The Daruma doll is one of Japan's most popular lucky charms. It's cute but loaded with symbolism.

When you buy the Daruma, it has blank white spots where the eyes should be. You take the new Daruma into your hands and make your wish and tell him what he is supposed to help you with. Then, you draw him one eye. Traditionally, on the left side.

The Daruma will not be satisfied as long he hasn't got his second eye drawn in. Just as you are not satisfied until you have achieved your goals.

Seeing the one-eyed Daruma, however, will remind you of your own struggles, it will give you strength in going on whatever the circumstances.

One-eyed Daruma doll in a Japanese home

Symbolism of the Daruma Doll

The missing eye is however only one of the many features of the Daruma doll.

First of all, it is a roly-poly or stand-up doll. Hollow and made of light papier-mâché, the Daruma doll has a weight inside. The base is small and flat. If you tip it, it is supposed to quickly stand up on its own again. Which conveys the meaning that whatever happens, you will be back, overcoming any adversity.

The typical Daruma doll is red. The color is said to hark back to the ancient robes of Buddhist head priests. Red is however also considered a color to ward off illness.

The pronounced eyebrows of the doll resemble cranes. Birds symbolizing longevity. The beard is styled in the shape of two tortoise shells (it takes a bit of imagination to see that), another symbol of longevity.

"A crane lives for 1000 years, tortoises live for 10.000 years" a Japanese proverb states.

Below of the face of the Daruma, a Chinese character is painted in gold or black. That character is often 福 (fuku), meaning good fortune.

The typical Buddhist temple or merchant at a Daruma festival will also offer you the chance to "supercharge" your Daruma. They offer paper slips to be glued to the back of the head of the Daruma specifying its purpose.

"Prosperous Business" is a common inscription on those paper slips, "Traffic Safety" is popular with drivers, 大願成就 (daiganjouyu) however is for those who want to achieve the realization of their big project, ambition or dream.

Daruma dolls for sale at Hatsudaishi Festival in Kawagoe, Saitama

History

Daruma dolls are named after Bodhidharma, a monk who arrived in China in the 5th or 6th century from either India or Persia. Bodhidharma is credited with spreading the new meditative school of Chan Buddhism. A school of Buddhism that much later led to the development of Zen Buddhism in Japan.

Bodhidharma's meditation style was quite radical. Nothing, absolutely nothing was supposed to interrupt his meditation. At one time, he is said to have stared at a wall without any movement for 9 years, sitting in the lotus position. His arms and legs fell off while Bodhidharma focused all his mind inwards.

Once, he fell asleep during meditation. Angry at himself for that breach of proper conduct, he cut his eyelids off.

Daruma dolls have no arms or legs and their spots for the eyes to be painted in are large and round.

Daruma dolls for sale in Japan

The Daruma doll in its current fashion was developed and popularized in the 1600s in the city of Takasaki in today's Gunma Prefecture.

The Shorinzan Daruma Temple in Takasaki, belonging to the Zen school takes credit for morphing traditional roly-poly dolls into Buddhist lucky charms in the image of Bodhidharma.

Takasaki is still the home of the Daruma doll today. About 80% of all Daruma dolls sold in Japan are made in the city.

Shorinzan Daruma Temple in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture

Daruma Doll Festivals

Across Japan, Daruma doll festivals are held shortly after New Year's, enabling people to buy Daruma dolls to accompany them throughout the year.

The largest such festival takes place right at the birthplace of the Daruma doll, at Shorinzan Daruma Temple in Takasaki on January 6th and 7th. About 400.000 people are said to visit the festival each year.

Closer to Tokyo is the Hatsudaishi Daruma Festival at Kitain Temple in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture. Taking place on January 3rd, the festival is just a short train ride away from the capital and it's located in perhaps the most original historic town in the Kanto area. Kawagoe features rows upon rows of ancient merchant houses, still open for business today. The city is the perfect setting for a Daruma doll festival.

On sale Daruma dolls at a festival in Japan

Expect a very crowded festival. People from all over Tokyo attend to buy their new Daruma dolls. There are plenty of food vendors as well, of course, but the Daruma dolls are main.

All the vendors selling the dolls come from Takasaki. You buy the originals here.

Some of the dolls may be blue or yellow, or some such. Vendors try to catch up with what's cool in Harajuku or so, it seems.

But the vast majority are in the traditional style as developed at Shorinzan Daruma Temple.

They come however in many different sizes. From very small to really large. Generally, the bigger the Daruma doll the more expensive it gets.

Daruma dolls come in many sizes

Successful Daruma Dolls

Once you reached that goal your Daruma doll was supposed to help you with, once you made it through the year safely, you paint the doll its second eye. Mission accomplished, that means.

Daruma festivals always offer spots to discard your used Daruma dolls. People do a short prayer expressing thanks to the doll, then throw it onto the big heap of two-eyed Darumas.

The Daruma dolls are then ceremonially burned by the temple.

Not that many of those Daruma doll burning ceremonies are public anymore (mostly because of fire safety laws) but at Dairyu-ji Temple in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, you can still witness the ceremonial burning of about 10,000 used Daruma dolls on every second Sunday after New Year.