What are Daruma? 6 Things to Know about Daruma Dolls

by Will Heath | CRAFT

Even if you don’t know anything about Japanese daruma dolls, you’ve undoubtedly come across them: maybe in person or in the movies, in an anime or manga, or perhaps on the shelf of a Japanese restaurant. Whether you know the daruma doll’s meaning or not, you definitely know his face.

Daruma are usually depicted as small, round, red, dolls with one eye coloured in black and the other left white. What exactly are daruma dolls? What does daruma mean? Where do they come from, and why are they so valued in Japanese culture?

1. What is a Daruma?

Today, daruma dolls are used and cherished as a symbol of good luck and future fortune, commonly placed on a shelf at home or in a business. Before putting them on display, however, the owner must make a wish that they hope will come true, or something they aim to work towards in their own life, before colouring in one eye, marking the wish. It doesn’t actually matter which eye is filled in first, but conventionally, the daruma’s left eye is the more popular choice. Once the wish has come to fruition, the other eye is coloured in and the daruma is complete. But where did this tradition of making wishes and promises on daruma come from?

Bodhidharma Crossing the Yangzi River on a Reed, Kano Soshu, 16th Century, Met Museum — Bodhidharma Crossing the Yangzi River on a Reed, Kano Soshu, 16th Century, Met Museum

Daruma are modelled after the Bodhidharma, a Chinese Buddhist monk from the 5th century who became the patriarch of the school of Chan Buddhism in China. And though he was Chinese, he is revered in Japan because what the Chinese know as Chan Buddhism became Zen Buddhism in Japan. And even those of us with no real knowledge of Buddhism are still aware of the importance of Zen in Japanese culture. You can find out more about the influence of Zen in Japanese art in our Introduction in 10 Japanese Zen Masterpieces.

2. Why do Daruma Look Like They Do?

As for the appearance of the daruma, that’s a fairly unique and bleak story. Zen Buddhism is a school of Buddhism that emphasises the importance of meditation, and Bodhidharma himself is said to have meditated for nine years straight, until eventually his arms and legs atrophied and dropped off. The is how the Japanese daruma doll obtained its current form of a limbless head and torso.

The colour of the doll is a little more upbeat. In most artistic representations of Budhidharma, such as the ukiyo-e woodblock painting of the monk by Japanese painter Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, he is shown to be wearing red robes. Red is also a colour associated with good luck, wealth, and prosperity in East Asian nations where Buddhism is prominent. In Chinese festivals such as New Year, for example, red envelopes known as hongbao are given as gifts and usually full of money. Today, you can find different colour daruma apart from red: blues, greens, whites, and golds are common. They each have no particular meaning but simply give more options for buyers to pick a daruma in their favourite colour.

Daruma dolls are also often painted with gold kanji on the red below their face. This kanji reads fuku-iri (bringing luck). Additionally, the face of the doll itself is actually drawn with features that call to mind the shape of mystical Japanese animals: the crane and the turtle. The inclusion of the crane is tied to the belief that cranes bring good fortune and longevity, as it is said that they live for a thousand years. The same is true for turtles, which really can live for hundreds of years. They are also said to bring protection.

3. What is the Meaning of Daruma?

We’ve established that daruma are good luck talismans but there’s a little more to it than simply making a wish. In fact, daruma aren’t really about granting wishes; that’s not in the spirit of Buddhism nor any Japanese philosophy. The true meaning of daruma is as a reminder of self-perseverance, focus, and discipline.

The school of Chan/Zen Buddhism which Bodhidharma started is one that values self-discipline, and the practice of buying and using a daruma is less about making a wish and more about having a talisman that serves as a reminder of your own life goals. Drawing in the eye of the daruma is not a wish; it is a promise to yourself that you will follow your dream and achieve your goal, whatever obstacles may come your way and whatever pitfalls you might have to climb out of as you continue along your journey

The colour of the daruma reinforces this meaning. Red is a colour of good luck and fortune, rather than anything related to wish-granting. It is similar to another popular talisman in Japanese culture: the omamori charm. Omamori are portable talismans, while Daruma are static ones. Omamori are carried to ensure monetary fortune, safe travel, good luck in the carrier’s studies or their business. These talismans do not grant wishes; they provide good luck, support, protection, and a reminder of what the owner wants or needs out of life. That’s the meaning of daruma.

A popular idiom that’s often tied to the meaning of daruma is 七転八起 nanakorobi yaoki, roughly translated as “fall down seven times, stand up eight”. Daruma are a symbol of perseverance and staying the path. You have a goal and you’re tempted to waver or quit, but having that daruma on your shelf is a constant reminder of what you originally wanted; why you initially make that promise to yourself.

Buffalo and Herdsman, Kawanabe Kyosai, 1887, Met Museum — Buffalo and Herdsman, Kawanabe Kyosai, 1887, Met Museum

This is why the daruma is modelled after Bodhidharma, a man who embodied Zen Buddhism and the philosophy of perseverance. In fact, the two stories told about the origin of the daruma’s eyes both lend themselves to this philosophy. The first is that having both eyes coloured in means that your eyes are now open to the truth of the universe, as happened to Bodhidharma when he reached enlightenment. The other is that he fell asleep seven years into his meditation and was so ashamed that he cut off his eyelids to avoid it happening again. Either way you look at it, the meaning of daruma is all about perseverance.

How long one should have their daruma for is really up to each person, but many people in Japan like to start the new year fresh, with new dreams and goals and a new Daruma to keep them on the path to that goal. Because of this, a popular ceremony occurs at New Year known as daruma kuyo. This is a daruma burning ceremony done at the temple where the doll was originally purchased. Owners take their daruma to the temple, show thanks for the year that has passed, and then observe a mass burning of all the year’s daruma dolls before purchasing new dolls for the year to come.

4. Daruma in Popular Culture

Daruma are so ubiquitous in Japanese culture that they can be found anywhere and everywhere, and not just in the physical space. Daruma are referenced and depicted in literature, TV, anime, manga, and video games. Here are a few examples.

Daruma Otoshi

Daruma Otoshi is a traditional Japanese toy which is made up of a stack of coloured wooden blocks with a daruma head on top. You stack the blocks and use a small wooden hammer to quickly knock the blocks away until only the head remains, without the blocks tumbling each time. The simplest comparison is the magician’s trick of pulling out a tablecloth without smashing all the plates. This game takes a lot of precision and dexterity to pull off, but it a very engaging challenge for kids of all ages. If you’re interested you can also check out these 25 Best Japanese Games and Toys you can Buy Online.

Daruma-san ga Koronda

This is a popular children’s game played on the playground. It is an identical version of the game Statues or Red Light/Green Light, as it is typically known in the US and UK. In the game, the person at the front shouts Daruma-san ga koronda! (literally “Mr. Daruma fell over!”) and turns around to check that the group of children behind them are still as a statue. While their back is once again turned, the students can slowly sneak towards them to unseat them from their position.

As the Gods Will

As the Gods Will is a Japanese horror movie from 2014 which prominently features the playground game Daruma-san ga koronda. It follows the story of a bored high schooler who gets roped into a game of daruma-san ga koronda, with the penalty of losing being death, and the with an actual daruma with a button on its back in place of the person at the front. The movie’s poster ominously depicts a daruma sat beneath a classroom blackboard, looking on at the students in the class.

Daruma in Pokemon

First introduced in Pokemon Black and White, the Pokemon Darmanitan (Hihidaruma in Japanese) has its design based on the Daruma doll. This Pokemon (#555 in the Pokedex) is a fire type with gorilla-like appendages but a body with details, eyes, and a colour that is heavily lifted from the traditional daruma design. More adorably, when Darmanitan’s HP is low, it enters “Zen mode”, tucking its arms and legs in and taking on an almost perfect resemblance to the Daruma doll. Darmanitan is also the evolved form of Pokemon #554, Darumaka, whose design is a happy daruma doll with stumpy arms and legs. Darumaka is known in the Pokedex as the “Zen Charm Pokemon”.

Spirited Away

In the beloved 2001 Studio Ghibli animated film Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi), the owner of the film’s bathhouse, Yubaba has three green heads in her quarters. These Kashira may be green, but their beard design and the fact that they are bodiless heads heavily winks at the appearance and design of traditional daruma dolls. However, the comparison ends there; the Kashira in Yubaba’s room don’t behave in a particularly monk-like way, nor do they seem to bring luck. Nevertheless, their design is certainly inspired by, and heavily reminiscent of, Daruma dolls.

5. How and Where are Daruma Made?

These days, you might assume that daruma are simply mass-produced in a factory in China, much like the similarly popular maneki-neko (beckoning cat) is. But, in actual fact, almost all daruma are produced in the Japanese city of Takasai in Gunma prefecture, as has been the case for more than three centuries.

Originally, daruma were made by the local farmers of the Takasai area, to be blessed by passing monks. This was back in the 17th century, where good luck was keenly sought out in order to ensure a strong harvest each year. This began the tradition of daruma being made in Takasai, Gunma, which has remained true to this day.

As for how they are made, daruma are traditionally hollow and made from a style of papier mache using Japanese washi paper (What is Japanese Washi Paper?). A wooden stereotype would be made, before being wrapped in papier mache, which is carefully moulded, cut, and painted to create the features of the daruma. These days, manufacturers of daruma don’t make their own wooden stereotype but rather use a premade mould which is then wrapped in papier mache.

While the modern process of making daruma has been mostly handed over to machinery, it is still a careful and technical process, just one that has been streamlined thanks to modern technology. Today, the pre-made wooden mould is dipped into liquid papier mache and the air inside is suched out using a pump. This method ensures every daruma comes out perfectly identical. In the past, this method was done by hand by slapping wet papier mache onto the dampened surface of a wooden mould. The mould itself doesn’t always have to be wooden. Some manufacturers will mould one out of clay, or even use a metal one which is guaranteed to last longer.

6. Where to Buy Daruma Dolls?

The city of Takasaki, the daruma motherland, has many options for daruma shopping. At Yoshida Daruma you can buy online from a wide selection.

Tokyo has a range of daruma dolls known as Happy Daruma. In Kyoto, there is a local online store which sells daruma, known as Kimura Oshida. There, you can shop online for the daruma doll of your choice and have it shipped to you. If you would rather buy a daruma in person while visiting Kyoto, you can visit the Kyoto Handicraft Center and buy a daruma there. Kyoto also has its own unique Buddhist temple known as Horin-ji, but it is also referred to by the name Daruma-dera because of its enormous collection of 8,000 donated daruma dolls.

For fans of Japanese dolls you should also check out these 8 of The Most Exquisite Traditional Japanese Dolls!