Daruma

Round papier-mache good luck dolls, largest production in Gunma Prefecture.

Daruma are round, hollow papier-mache dolls modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, who is said to have meditated for nine years until his limbs atrophied. Traditionally painted red with fierce facial features, daruma are sold without pupils — one eye is painted when making a wish, and the second when the wish is fulfilled. Takasaki in Gunma Prefecture produces approximately 80% of Japan's daruma, which serve as popular talismans of perseverance and good luck.