A Never-GiveUp Charm

After the Tenmei famine in the 1780s, farmers in Takasaki's Toyooka village struggled. This is when the monks at Shorinzan Daruma-ji (少林山達磨寺) temple taught them to make papier-mâché figures based on the Bodhidharma, painted red to ward off sickness. Combined with the region’s dry winter winds, Takasaki became the ideal place for drying and painting, and today about 90% of these papier-mâché called Daruma are made here.

The shapes are made by hand or with vacuum-molded paper shells. Once dried, bases go to craftsmen who weight them, paint, and add lacquer. Because it is weighted at the bottom, daruma never fully tip over, which is a symbol of resilience.

Then, artisans then hand-paint the face and brush on gold characters of good fortune. The crane shaped eyebrows and the turtle-like mustache symbolize long life and good fortune.

In Japan, whenever people set goals, whether it be exams, business, or elections, buy a daruma and paint in one eye to start the journey. When achieved, they fill the second eye in thanks.

More than an ornament, this daruma reminds us: never give up, keep rising.