18th January – 睦月

達磨　（Daruma）

Japanese traditional doll with weight at the bottom.

In the Shougatsu time, people draw left eye on Daruma doll and make a wish. Then if the wish comes true, they draw the right eye on it.

The doll with weight called 起き上り小法師 (Okiagari-koboshi) was originally made about 1400 years ago in China and it was introduced to Japan in Muromachi period.

Okiagari-koboshi wakes up every time when something tries to make it fall down – this unconquerable spirit was seen as the same as 達磨大師 (Daruma-Taishi), therefore, eventually Japan modeled this person for the Daruma doll.

Daruma-taishi was from India and he has an anecdote that he did 座禅 (Zazen- one types of meditation while sitting the typical way) for 9 years continuously so his arms and legs got rotten. That is why Daruma dolls do not have arms and legs.

Nowadays, people draw the Daruma dolls’ eyes, however in the old time they used to have eyes. Why did the eyes disappear?

There are one story that once apon a time in the Daruma shop, one of the customers did not like the eyes on the Daruma. So the shop owner sold the Daruma without eyes. This was the start of tradition that customers drawing eyes on Daruma.

There were only red Daruma sold before, but since Shouwa peroid, there are more variety in colours and each has meanings:

Black – business prosperity

Yellow – great harvest, economic fortune

Gold – Economic fortune

White – achieving goals

Red – against evil spirit, good health for family