Druma – Wikipedia

The Daruma dolls ( Sparing DARUMA ^? ) , also said dharma dolls , are Japanese votive stickers without legs or arms, which represent Bodhidharma ( DARUMA in Japanese; to be pronounced pressing give it , even if in Italian it is often erroneously pronounced the mine ), the founder and first patriarch of Zen. The most common colors are: red (the most frequent), yellow, green and white. The doll has a stylized men’s face with beard and mustache, but the eyes are two white circles. Using a black ink, one must draw only one eye (to represent a goal that you want to achieve); When the goal is made, the second eye will also be designed.

Because of their low mass center, some Daruma doll models straightened by themselves after being pushed on one side. For this reason they have become a symbol of optimism, constancy and strong determination. These dolls derive from an ancient model of doll that straightens itself, known as the “small round monk” or “small monk always-in-go” (okiagari-koboshi). A nourishing for children of the seventeenth century describes the Daruma dolls of the time in a very similar way to their modern depictions:

Hi Ni! FU NI!

Fundan DARUMA GA

Akai Zukin Kaburi Sunmaita!

Once! Twice!

Always the daruma of red dress

Incurating returns sitting! ^[first]

Some dolls make writings on the cheeks that describe the desire that the owner expressed, p.e. A request for protection for loved ones. The owner’s surname can be written on the chin. Until the desire is fulfilled, the doll is exhibited in a raised point of the house, usually close to other important objects such as Butsudan (a Buddhist domestic altar). It is normal to own a single Daruma at a time.

Daruma dolls are usually purchased inside or near the Japanese Buddhist temples, and have variable dimensions between 5 to 60 cm in height. If the Daruma doll has been bought inside the temple, the owner can bring it back for it to be burned. The dolls bought at a temple are often branded and most of the temples refuse to burn dolls that do not have their brand. The dolls are usually burned at the end of the year. It is a purification ritual to ensure that the kami knows that the person who expressed the desire has not desisted, but is on another way to make it.

At the end of the nineties, some groups of human rights activists contested the tradition of drawing the daruma without eyes (and the practices associated with these dolls) because they are discriminating against blindness. Although the question raised by these organizations is still discussed, the protest had significant results: at the end of the political elections in Japan, the habit of the winners was common to draw an eye on a Daruma, but the practice fell into disuse or is no longer shown by the media ^[2] .

The Daruma doll (or a printed representation) was used by several time management systems ( Time Management ) to symbolize an important objective not yet achieved. When a new project is undertaken, a pupil of the doll is colored, and the Daruma symbol becomes a reminder of the goal to be achieved. When the project is completed, the second eye is designed.