Paint in the Eyes on the one, baby!
Was cycling home from work this morning - great to have a mountainbike here in Tsukuba - when I came across the little beauty in the photo. Actually I have seen it from the bus before and thought it looked pretty cool.
These are called daruma (dolls) in Japanese, more specifically okiagari koboshi, and are based on the story of Bodhidharma. They are used to set goals in Japan. People paint in one eye when they start a project and then paint in the other eye when they get to their goal.
According to the A to Z Photo Dictionary of Japanese Buddhist Statuary:
At New Year time, many Japanese individuals and corporations buy a Daruma doll, make a resolution, and then paint in one of the eyes. If, during the year, they are able to achieve their goal, they paint in the second eye. Many politicians, at the beginning of an election period, will buy a Daruma doll, paint in one eye, and then, if they win the election, paint in the other eye. At year end, it is customary to take the Daruma doll to a temple, where it is burned in a big bonfire.
I know a lot of companies who do this. Sometimes you see them when you are waiting in the foyer. A nice touch if you have a foreign company here in Japan to help your employees focus.
daruma.jp have an online shop where you can buy one. daruma.jp isn’t related to this site, nor have I bought anything from them. Their site is in English. Update: I got an email from them, the owner also speaks Japanese and sounds like a nice guy.
I do hope though that the firefighters at this firestation don’t paint the eyes in on their doll though!
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