D for Daruma

Deciphering the Taiheiyō Daruma

Futaba Daruma dolls of various sizes

Futaba Daruma dolls of various sizes

Bodhidharma, Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1887)

Bodhidharma, Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1887)

A high school girl painting Futaba Daruma at the 2022 Futaba Marugoto Bunkasai

A high school girl painting Futaba Daruma at the 2022 Futaba Marugoto Bunkasai

The Futaba Daruma Story

How a group of people decided to give themselves a new identity

It is intriguing. Small dolls in colours as vivid as pink, yellow and green with rough strokes around the waist have come to be equated with the identity of a town whose history stretches back to stone age.

Daruma dolls are usually small hollow dolls with distinctive beard and the ability to wobble when pushed to a side. They are round and are traditionally a good-luck charm in Japan. They are also a sign of perserverance as they refuse to bow down to force and have rightfully been referred to in the popular Japanese proverb 七転び八起き (Fall down seven times, stand up eight).

While details surrounding the exact origin are unknown, Daruma dolls have been modelled after the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma who is credited with the founding of Zen Buddhism. The current symbolism of Daruma as seen all over Japan and the world has been traced back to Shorinzan Daruma Temple, Takasaki city in Gunma prefecture.

Although still made of papier-mâché, the dolls are usually made by trained artisans. In Futaba however, the story is a bit different.

The Futaba Daruma festival has been a long established tradition for the past 300 years where about a 2 m tall Daruma weighing about a ton is used in a tug-of-war alongwith other events. However, the town didn’t have its own Daruma doll until about 30 years ago. The people at the local JA Futaba Women’s Club brought unpainted Matsukawa Darumas which are famous in and around the city of Sendai. They then painted it with various references to Futaba and thus localised the widely popular Daruma dolls.

The Taiheiyō Daruma

The Blue Border

The coast of Futaba

The coast of Futaba

The blue borders represents the Pacific coast of Futaba. For centuries, the ocean has formed a strong memory for the town with sports festival and other events organised regularly. The sandy Futaba beach was also featured in the list of 100 best beaches of Fukushima prefecture.

The Pheasant Feathers

The Green Pheasant

The Green Pheasant

While also declared as the national bird of Japan in 1947, the Green Pheasant is a symbol of power and abundance as it is believed to be the messenger of Amaterasu, the Japanese Sun Goddess. The Futaba Daruma features a motif of its feathers.

The Futaba Daruma is more than just a symbol for the town. It is a part of a living culture.

Tug-Of-War

2007 Futaba Daruma Tug-Of-War

2007 Futaba Daruma Tug-Of-War

Every January sees the town of Futaba gather to participate in a tug-of-war involving the huge Futaba Daruma doll.

The rope stretches along the main intersection of the town connecting the north and the south. If the north-end wins, the town is believed to have business prosperity for the year whereas if the south-end wins, the town is believed to have safe and good health.

The Eye of Daruma

An unpainted Futaba Daruma

An unpainted Futaba Daruma

One of the most noticeable features of a Daruma is its eyes. It is common for people to buy Daruma when they want to make a wish. If one finds themselves buying a Futaba Daruma, they can make a wish or set a goal and paint the left eye of the doll. When their wish comes true or goal is achieved, paint the right eye.

Other motifs

There are other motifs too which are found on a Futaba Daruma. The Cherry Blossoms motif refers to the town flower itself. While the ones with blue border are termed as Taiheiyō Daruma (Pacific Daruma), there are also ones with a golden border which use the logo of the town as the design. There are bamboo motifs too referring to Three Friends of Winter (Pine, Bamboo and Plum) which are the symbols of longevity. Further, the eyebrows are made of cranes and whiskers of turtles. It is a reference to an ancient proverb which translates to ‘Cranes live for a 1000 years, turtles for 10,000 years’.

Inspite of the motifs that have come to identify the Futaba Daruma, one may find themselves sitting across the table listening to an elderly lady on how freely they can paint one. The physical colour palette seems to be the only glass ceiling. Much like the town that has to be built, there is no set path or an available blueprint.

The Futaba Daruma is a story of freedom and memory - both of which must come together to paint a new town. The only question that remains - have you chosen your colour yet?