Daruma and Onna Daruma

Attributes: Resilience, over coming adversity, recovery from misfortune, working class and good luck

The Daruma doll is associated with Bodhidharma a Buddhist monk who lived in the 5th century. He is considered to 28th patriarch of Buddhism and the transmitter of Chan Buddhism. He is also credited as the creator of Shaolin Kungfu.

When the Daruma doll is purchased, the figures eyes are blank white. A user will then select a goal or wish and paint in one of the figure's eyes. Once the desired goal is achieved the second eye is filled in. The doll is considered a good luck charm to bring happiness and prosperity and to ward off accidents and misfortune. Often once the goal is achieved the doll would be taken to a shrine or temple and burned. There is even a festival held every year to celebrate Daruma in the town of Takisaki, Japan.

The dolls unually have a round shape, are hollow and weighted at the bottom so they will always return to an upright position. In Japanese a roly-poly toy is called okaigari, meaning to get up (oki) and arise (agari). This characteristic has come to symbolize the ability to have success, over-come adversity and recover from misfortune.

The color is believed to represent the robe's of a high ranking priest, which are red. However, the doll can be found in other colors such as gold, which is meant to bring luck in financial matters. The facial hair is a representation of the animals well known in Asian cultures to embody longevity: the crane and the tortoise. The eyebrows are the crane, while the cheek hair resembles the shell of a tortoise.

Princess Daruma (hime daruma) and Lady Daruma (onna daruma) are the feminine representations of the Daruma doll. During the Edo period class distinctions placed merchants at the bottom, who in turn developed their own culture which often focused on humor at the expense of and poking fun at what the higher class held sacred. This is evident in the depiction of Daruma as a prostitute since they displayed the same "okiagari" resilience. The examples of the Onna Daruma were satirical, the doll forms still maintain the same wholesome image as a bringer of good luck.