Daruma doll
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A is a hollow, round, Japanese traditional doll modeled after
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 ...
, the founder of the
Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
tradition of
Buddhism 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 gra ...
. These dolls, though typically red and depicting a bearded man (
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 ...
), vary greatly in color and design depending on region and artist. Though considered a toy by some, Daruma has a design that is rich in symbolism and is regarded more as a talisman of good luck to the Japanese. Daruma dolls are seen as a symbol of perseverance and good luck, making them a popular gift of encouragement. The doll has also been commercialized by many Buddhist temples to use alongside the setting of goals.


Use

When purchased, the figure's eyes are both blank white. The owner selects a goal or wish and paints in the left eye of the figure's two eyes with Chinese or Japanese ink. Once the goal is achieved, the right eye is filled in.


Bodhidharma

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 ...
was a
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 A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
who lived during the 5th/6th century CE. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of
Ch'an Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning "meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and S ...
(
Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
) to
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. Little contemporary biographical information on Bodhidharma is extant, and subsequent accounts became layered with legend. According to one tradition, Bodhidharma gained a reputation for, among other things, his practice of wall-gazing. Legend claims that he sat facing a wall in
meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...
for a period of nine years without moving, which caused his legs and arms to fall off from atrophy. Another popular legend is that after falling asleep during his nine-year meditation he became angry with himself and cut off his eyelids to avoid ever falling asleep again. According to the principal Chinese sources, Bodhidharma came from the
Western Regions The Western Regions or Xiyu (Hsi-yü; ) was a historical name specified in the Chinese chronicles between the 3rd century BC to the 8th century AD that referred to the regions west of Yumen Pass, most often Central Asia or sometimes more spe ...
, which refers to Central Asia but may also include the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
, and was either a "Persian Central Asian" or a "South Indian ... the third son of a great Indian king." Throughout
Buddhist art Buddhist art is visual art produced in the context of Buddhism. It includes depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from their lives, mandalas, an ...
, Bodhidharma is depicted as an ill-tempered, profusely bearded, wide-eyed non-Chinese person. He is referred as "The Blue-Eyed Barbarian" ( zh, c=碧眼胡, p=Bìyǎnhú) in Chan texts.


History and commercialization

The current popular symbolism associated with Daruma as a good luck charm in part originated at
Shorinzan Daruma Temple Shorinzan Daruma Temple (少林山達磨寺, shōrinzan daruma-ji) is a small temple located in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. It was built in 1697 by the Obaku (school of Buddhism), Obaku school of Zen Buddhism. Takasaki is known as the birthplace of ...
, in the city of
Takasaki is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 372,369 in 167,345 households, and a population density of 810 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Takasaki is famous as the hometown of th ...
(
Gunma Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima ...
, north of Tokyo). Josef Kyburz, author of ''"Omocha": Things to Play (Or Not to Play) with'', explained that the founder of Daruma-Dera would draw New Year’s charms depicting Bodhidharma. The parishioners would keep these charms to "bring happiness and prosperity and ward off accidents and misfortune". "Omocha": Things to Play (Or Not to Play) with p.15 It is believed that the Daruma figurine then originated from this region when the ninth priest, Togaku, found a solution to handle the constant requests of the parishioners for new charms. The charms were always given with an effectiveness of one year, so the people required new ones every year. He solved this by entrusting them with the making of their own Daruma charms near the beginning of the
Meiwa was a after '' Hōreki'' and before '' An'ei.'' This period spanned the years from June 1764 through November 1772. The reigning empress and emperor were and . Change of era * 1764 : The era name became ''Meiwa'' (meaning "Bright Harmony") b ...
period (1764–72). The temple made wooden block molds for the people to use. The peasants then used these molds to make three-dimensional papier-mâché charms. Kyburz notes that though it is unknown when the Daruma figurine combined with the tumbler doll; the two were well recognized as synonymous by the mid-19th century. The doll quickly grew in popularity, becoming a mascot of the region. This was due greatly in part to fact that the majority of the families were silk farmers, a crop which requires a great deal of luck for success. There is an annual held by the city of Takasaki in celebration of being the proclaimed birthplace of the Daruma doll. The celebration is held at the Shorinzan, the name of Takasaki's "Daruma-Dera". According to the Takasaki city website, "Over 400,000 people from all over the Kanto Plain come to buy new good-luck dolls for the year. Takasaki produces 80% of Japan's Daruma dolls." The festival also features a 24-hour reading of sutras by the Shorinzan monks for world peace.


Physical features and symbolism

Daruma’s design, particularly the shape, color, eyes and facial hair, each have its own history and symbolic meaning.


Shape

Darumas are still usually made of papier-mâché, have a round shape, are hollow and weighted at the bottom so that they will always return to an upright position when tilted over. In Japanese, 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. ...
is called ''okiagari'', meaning to get up (''oki'') and arise (''agari''). This characteristic has come to symbolize the ability to have success, overcome adversity, and recover from misfortune. In Japanese popular culture on cards, banners and books, Daruma is often illustrated alongside the phrase "Nanakorobi Yaoki" (), translated to mean "seven times down, eight times up". While some traditional Daruma dolls have flat bases, the Sankaku or Triangle Daruma () is constructed from a rolled cardboard cone attached to a rounded clay base so that it always stands straight when tilted. The tumbler doll style is similar to an earlier toy called the Okiagari Koboshi, a little self-righting monk which was popular in the
Kinki The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu, Honshū. The region includes the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Osaka Prefectur ...
region during the mid-17th century. The original okiagari toy, however, is said to have been introduced from Ming China around 1368–1644.


Color

Though it is not certain, the origins of Daruma's traditional red coloring probably came from the color of priest's robes. Reliable sources in English are hard to find, but one Japan-based website cites this red as being the "color of the robe of a high-ranking priest. The author then concludes that "since Daruma was the founder of the Zen Sect, he must have worn a red robe." The art historian James T. Ulak has documented a history of depictions of the Bodhidharma wearing lavish red robes, prior to representations of him as a doll, in an article entitled "Japanese Works in The Art Institute of Chicago." By virtue of his red robes, Daruma has come to play a role in recovering from sickness. During the late
Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...
(1603-1868), red was believed to have a strong association to
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
. Hartmut O. Rotermond, author of ''Demonic Affliction or Contagious Disease?'', describes that in Edo and surrounding cities, there were many outbreaks of measles and smallpox. In present-day Japan, there are many red shrines dedicated to a God of Smallpox, which had a particular liking for red. These shrines were built in response to those outbreaks. Believing that the God of smallpox, if pleased, would spare the afflicted child, the Japanese would often stretch out ropes around the house strung with red paper strips, have the child wear a red robe, and make a small altar for the God to put talisman-like Daruma figurines on. These precautions were also used to warn others that sickness was in the house, and to encourage cleanliness around the sick. The red of Daruma, however, was used to pacify the God, while the image of okiagari was to encourage the patient to recover as quickly as they fell ill. Daruma are also sold as a set of five colors – blue, yellow, red, white and black – called ''Goshiki Daruma''. These days, daruma can also be found in colors other than red, including gold, which is meant to bring luck in financial matters.


Eyes

The eyes of Daruma are often blank when sold. Monte A. Greer, author of ''Daruma Eyes'', described the "oversized symmetrical round blank white eyes" as a means to keep track of goals or big tasks and motivate them to work to the finish. The recipient of the doll fills in one eye upon setting the goal, then the other upon fulfilling it. In this way, every time they see the one-eyed Daruma, they recall the goal. One explanation how this custom started says that in order to motivate Daruma-san to grant your wish, you promise to give him full sight once the goal is accomplished. This practice might also have something to do with the "enlightenment", the ideal attainment of Buddhism. This custom has led to a phrase in Japanese translated as "Both Eyes Open". Referring to "opening" the second eye, it expresses the realization of a goal. Greer, Monte A. "Daruma Eyes: The Sixth Century Founder of Zen Buddhism and Kung Fu Had the Earliest Recorded Graves p.1 Traditionally, the Daruma was purchased as a household item, and only the head of the household would paint in the eyes. One example of this is politicians during election time. Political parties have often been shown at their headquarters with large Daruma dolls and amulets purchased from local temples as a prayer for victory. This practice was highlighted in a 1967 article in ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine: "Last week, in the Tokyo headquarters of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Premier
Eisaku Satō was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1972. He is the third-longest serving Prime Minister, and ranks second in longest uninterrupted service as Prime Minister. Satō entered the National Diet in 1949 as a membe ...
dipped a sumi brush into an ink stone and with swift strokes daubed in the dark right eye of his Daruma. 'The eyes,' he remarked when he had finished, 'are as big as my own.'" The Matsukawa Daruma () is produced with the eyes already painted, with the purpose of watching over a family's household. These intricate figures are more slender than traditional Daruma and typically feature blue coloring and a base molded (or simply painted) in the form of the
ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...
that transports the
Seven Lucky Gods In Japanese mythology, the Seven Lucky Gods or Seven Gods of Fortune (, shichifukujin in Japanese) are believed to grant good luck and are often represented in netsuke and in artworks. One of the seven (Jurōjin) is said to be based on a historic ...
.


Facial hair

Daruma's facial hair is a symbolic representation of the animals well known in Asian culture to embody longevity: the crane and the tortoise. The eyebrows are in the shape of a crane, while the cheek hair resembles the shell of the tortoise. A Japanese-based website states that originally, there was a snake or dragon depicted across the moustache and cheeks, but was changed to tortoise to emphasize the desire for longevity. In this way, Daruma was designed to match the Japanese proverb "The crane lives 1000 years, the tortoise 10,000 years".


Daruma burning

At the end of the year, all the Daruma are brought back to the temple they were purchased from for a traditional burning ceremony. This ceremony, called the , is held once a year, usually right after New Year's Day. The most renowned of these events are held at the Nishi-Arai Daishi Temple (Tokyo), and the Dairyū-ji Temple (Gifu). At these events, people bring the Daruma figures they had used that year to the temple. After expressing gratitude to them, they turn them over to the temple and buy new ones for the next year. All of the old Daruma figures are burnt together in the temple. After a solemn display of the monks' entry, reading of the sutras and blowing of horns, the tens of thousands of figurines are then set aflame.


Feminine representations

Daruma dolls also come in the form of and . This contrasts greatly with traditional representations of Bodhidharma, who, accredited as the father of many martial arts, has traditionally been depicted as very masculine with rough facial hair. McFarland, H. Neill. "Feminine Motifs in Bodhidharma Symbology in Japan" p. 170. H. Neill McFarland, Professor of Theology, discusses the feminine representations of Bodhidharma in his article ''Feminine Motifs in Bodhidharma Symbology in Japan''. The answer to this anomaly lies in the social changes at the time, developing in the Edo Period. The class distinctions placed the merchants at the bottom, who in turn developed their own culture focusing on humor and poking fun at what those of higher class held sacred. This is evident in the depiction of Bodhidharma as a prostitute since prostitutes displayed the same "okiagari" resilience. Famous pieces of art depicting Bodhidharma were also redrawn with a woman in his place. With the inception of the Daruma doll, the Onna Daruma doll quickly followed. Though the aforementioned examples of feminine motifs of Bodhidharma were satirical, the doll forms maintain the same wholesome image of a bringer of good luck.


Children's games

Many children's games make mention of Daruma. In Japanese, snowmen are called "Yukidaruma" ( ja, 雪だるま), literally ''snow daruma''. Possibly because the shape is related to Daruma, they usually only have two sections instead of three. Darumasan ga Koronda is an equivalent to the American
Red light/Green light Statues (also known as Red Light, Green Light in North America, and Grandma's/Grandmother's Footsteps or Fairy Footsteps in the United Kingdom) is a popular children's game, often played in different countries. There are variations of play t ...
game. is a traditional game played with a daruma doll in five pieces, usually in the colors of the rainbow, from top to bottom: head – a man's face, blue, green, yellow, red. The game is played by using a small hammer to hit each of the colored pieces, from bottom to the top, without letting the pieces fall during the game.


In popular culture

The
Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...
Darumaka and Darmanitan are based on the Daruma doll. In the manga ''
As the Gods Will is a Japanese manga series written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Akeji Fujimura. The series is composed of two parts. The first part was adapted into a live action film directed by Takashi Miike released 15 November 2014. Plot ...
'' and its film adaptation, a Daruma doll forces a high school class to play a game of
Daruma-san ga koronda Statues (also known as Red Light, Green Light in North America, and Grandma's/Grandmother's Footsteps or Fairy Footsteps in the United Kingdom) is a popular children's game, often played in different countries. There are variations of play t ...
in which students must press the button on its back to win. Being caught by the doll would result in death.


See also

*
Japanese craft Traditional in Japan have a long tradition and history. Included in the category of traditional crafts are handicrafts produced by an individual or a group, as well as work produced by independent studio artists working with traditional craft m ...
*
Japanese dolls are one of the traditional Japanese crafts. There are various types of traditional dolls, some representing children and babies, some the imperial court, warriors and heroes, fairy-tale characters, gods and (rarely) demons, and also people of t ...
*
Matryoshka Matryoshka dolls ( ; rus, матрёшка, p=mɐˈtrʲɵʂkə, a=Ru-матрёшка.ogg), also known as stacking dolls, nesting dolls, Russian tea dolls, or Russian dolls, are a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside ano ...
, a Russian doll said to be inspired by the Daruma doll *
Religions of Japan Religion in Japan is manifested primarily in Shinto and in Buddhism, the two main faiths, which Japanese people often practice simultaneously. According to estimates, as many as 80% of the populace follow Shinto rituals to some degree, worshipi ...


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* McFarland, H. Neill (1987). ''Daruma: The Founder of Zen in Japanese Art and Popular Culture''. Tokyo and New York: Kodansha International Ltd.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Daruma doll Buddhist folklore Japanese folklore Zen art and culture Japanese dolls Japanese folk art Figurines Zazen Papier-mâché