is a Japanese traditional doll. The toy is made from

papier-mâché upright=1.3, Mardi Gras papier-mâché masks, Haiti upright=1.3, Papier-mâché Catrinas, traditional figures for day of the dead celebrations in Mexico Papier-mâché (, ; , literally "chewed paper") is a composite material consisting of p ...

and is a

roly-poly toy A roly-poly toy, round-bottomed doll, tilting doll, tumbler, wobbly man, or wobble doll is a round-bottomed toy, usually egg-shaped, that tends to right itself when pushed at an angle, and does this in seeming contradiction to how it should fall. ...

, designed so that its weight causes it to return to an upright position if it is knocked over. Okiagari-kobōshi is considered a

good-luck charm An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...

and a symbol of perseverance and resilience.

History

The makers of the earliest ''okiagari-kobōshi'' likely modeled them after a Chinese toy called '' Budaoweng'' (不倒翁; ''not-falling-down old man'') that is similarly weighted. Okiagari-kobōshi has long been popular among Japanese children. It is mentioned in a 14th-century play called '' Manju-Kui'', and

folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

Lafcadio Hearn , born Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (; el, Πατρίκιος Λευκάδιος Χέρν, Patríkios Lefkádios Chérn, Irish language, Irish: Pádraig Lafcadio O'hEarain), was an Irish people, Irish-Greeks, Greek-Japanese people, Japanese writer, t ...

recorded a

lullaby A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowled ...

from

Matsue is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 202,008 (February 1, 2021) following the merger with Higashiizumo from Yatsuka District. Matsue is located at ...

Izumo Province was an old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province is in the Chūgoku region. History During the early Kofun period (3rd century) this region was independent an ...

in the early 20th century that lists the doll as a gift for a young child:

Nenneko, nenneko nenneko ya!
Kono ko nashite naku-yara?
O-chichi ga taranuka? — o-mama ga taranuka?
Ima ni ototsan no ōtoto no o-kaeri ni
Ame ya, o-kwashi ya, hii-hii ya,
Gara-gara, nagureba fuito tatsu
Okiagarikoboshi! —
Neneko, neneko, nenneko ya!

Translated, it says:

Sleep, sleep, sleep, little one!
Why does the child continue to cry?
Is the milk deficient? — is the rice deficient?
Presently when father returns from the great Lord's palace,
''Ame'' will be given to you, and also cake, and a ''hii-hii'' likewise,
And a rattle as well, and an ''okiagarikoboshi''
That will stand up immediately after being thrown down.

Okiagari-koboshi are popular in the

Aizu is the westernmost of the three regions of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, the other two regions being Nakadōri in the central area of the prefecture and Hamadōri in the east. As of October 1, 2010, it had a population of 291,838. The princip ...

region of

Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,810,286 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miya ...

. There, the dolls are sold in red and blue varieties.Lee. People buy the dolls during the ''Tokaichi'' (''Tenth-day Market'') held each 10 January. Shoppers typically throw several okiagari-koboshi down at the same time; those that stand back up are supposedly the lucky ones. Tradition mandates the purchase of one okiagari-koboshi for each member of the family plus one extra in the hope that the family will grow over the coming year.

Daruma dolls

One kind of

Daruma doll A is a hollow, round, Japanese traditional doll modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen tradition of Buddhism. These dolls, though typically red and depicting a bearded man (Bodhidharma), vary greatly in color and design depending on ...

works on the same principle as okiagari-kobōshi and is sometimes referred to by that name; whenever it is thrown down, it rights itself. This depiction of the

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monk

Bodhidharma Bodhidharma was a semi-legendary Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century CE. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China, and regarded as its first Chinese patriarch. According to a 17th century apo ...

likely arose in connection with a legend that says that he once meditated for nine years, which caused his legs to either atrophy or fall off. A 17th-century children's song shows that the okiagari-kobōshi Daruma dolls of the time were almost identical to their modern equivalents:

ひに！ふに！''Hi ni! fu ni!''
ふんだん達磨が ''Fundan Daruma ga''
赤い頭巾かぶりすんまいた! ''Akai zukin kaburi sunmaita!''
Once! twice!
Ever the red-hooded Daruma
Heedlessly sits up again!Hearn, 288–9.

Paper mache Daruma dolls without eyes are bought by those who have a goal in mind. The left eye is drawn in at the beginning of the quest, the right upon achieving it. For example, those hoping for recovery from an illness, or others wishing for their recovery would buy one for that purpose.

Notes

References

* Hearn, Lafcadio (1901). ''A Japanese Miscellany''. Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown, and Company. * Lee, Sherwood.
Historical asset: Kitakata
. Japan National Tourist Organization. Accessed 20 January 2007. * McFarland, H. Neill (1986). "Feminine Motifs in Bodhidharma Symbology in Japan". ''Asian Folklore Studies'', Vol. 45, No. 2. *

. Aizu Wakamatsu City. Accessed 20 January 2007.

External links

Okiagari Koboshi project from Europe
{{Superstitions Culture in Fukushima Prefecture Japanese folklore Luck Japanese dolls Figurines Superstitions of Japan Papier-mâché

History

Daruma dolls

See also

Notes

References

External links