Daruma
Tied to the story of an ancient Buddhist monk, daruma endure as symbols of grit and good luck
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Hiroji Hashimoto among the many hariko figures he worked on during the 1986 Folklife Festival. Photos by Daphne Shuttleworth, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives -
Hiroji Hashimoto was the seventeenth generation in his family to make hariko, the centuries-old technique of making hollow figures out of papier-mâché using damp paper pressed over a wooden mold. We know from Festival records that Hashimoto’s family had been making hariko since the Edo period (~1603–1868) and can see from photographs that the open setting of the Festival provided easy opportunity for public interaction. What we have no record of is anything Hashimoto may have said about the daruma.
“Daruma” is the Japanese name given to Bodhidharma, the sixth-century itinerant monk considered the founder of Zen Buddhism in Japan. During his travels, he is said to have spent nine years meditating in a cave. Sitting still for so long led his limbs to atrophy—giving the contemporary figure its armless, legless form. Today, daruma are to be considered good luck figures, possessing attributes of persistence and endurance.
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Photos by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives -
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Miharu daruma (named for a town within Fukushima prefecture) have intense, glaring eyes—to both ward off disaster and bring good luck. The arabesque pattern on either side of the jaw represents fire protection. The arching black brows mimic cranes—symbols of longevity. The “Fuku” character painted across the belly translates as happiness or good luck. Unlike many daruma that are sold with blank eyes—one to be filled in when the owner makes a wish, the other when the wish comes true—the Miharu daruma’s eyes are painted in by the maker, warding off misfortune at first glance.
Hashimoto’s son, Shōichi, became the twenty-first director of the family’s Honke Daikokuya Workshop in 2010. Located in Fukushima prefecture, it has been designated an “Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property” in the region. He works with traditional forms and materials but has also expanded the size and shape of his figures, as well as the use of daruma. Following the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami off Fukushima, he created a special “Pray for Reconstruction” daruma, which he carried to fundraisers throughout the country to seek support for the devastated region.
