Elvis may have left the building, but if you ask this Elvis impersonator Daruma for some blue suede shoes, you just might get them! Daruma figures are a popular New Year’s purchase because they’re renowned for granting your heart’s desire. Make a wish, color in one of its blank staring eyes, and when your wish is granted, color in the other one!
But Elvis isn’t the only version of the Buddhist saint who grants wishes if you color in one eye…
There are pop-up origami Darumas…
Lego Darumas…
fancy porcelain Darumas for grandma’s knick-knack shelf…
quilted Darumas…
Darumas crafted from traditional chiyogami paper…
graffiti Darumas…
and inflatable Darumas
Daruma figures usually have staring eyes like their namesake monk who meditated for nine years by staring at a blank cave wall, but sometimes Daruma had a rough night last night…
is prone to intrusive thoughts…
and might come after you with a pipe wrench if you don’t buy their brand of auto parts
Naturally, over the centuries, Daruma may have partnered with other legendary beings to produce…
tanuki Daruma
neko Daruma
aggressive Nara deer Daruma…
and (however unlikely) apple, shave ice, golden measles & demon Xmas Darumas…
as well as going over to the dark side to spawn dragon, delinquent teenager, makeup influencer, and Keanu Reeves Darumas
And finally, New Years wishes for financial success being what they are, it would be a miracle if some prefecture (Ishikawa, I’m looking at you) hadn’t drafted Daruma as their tourist-attracting mascot…
and some corporation hadn’t capitalized on children’s insatiable desire for adorable toys. Meet (I want to hate these but I can’t) Monchhichi Daruma…
and Bride of Monchhichi Daruma
Daruma’s awesome souvenir tip!
If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for all your gifting needs, nobody (and I mean nobody) is sorry to receive the gift of good luck. Daruma figures come in all shapes, sizes and colors, and they make awesome gifts for loved ones back home, because they’re made of paper mache, so they’re light, easy to pack, unbreakable, and utterly only-in-Japan.
Not superstitious? As Daruma might say, don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it!
*The real Daruma was apparently a fairly irascible fellow (with a legendarily scruffy beard), and the reason Daruma figures look the way they do is because his impressive feats of spiritual practice include meditating for nine years in a cave (so his limbs finally just dropped off from disuse), and being so annoyed with himself for falling asleep for a few hours of those nine years that he cut off his eyelids (seems a tad severe, but that does explain the scary staring eyeballs Daruma figures always have). Despite this slightly gruesome history, Daruma figures are all about hoping GOOD things will happen, so a more cheerful feature is that they’re weighted, so they can’t be tipped over. Daruma might get knocked down, but he never fails to pop right back up.
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly Japanagram newsletter, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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