More on the doll
- Daruma doll and brush
Painted red and decorated in recognizable East Asian fashion, the Daruma doll already looks the part. The object is based on the Buddhist monk Daruma, known as Bodhidharma, who spread Buddhism to China. It is possible that the red color was adopted from the apparel of Buddhist priests, but red is generally seen as an auspicious color in East Asia.
The dolls were commercialized by a Buddhist temple. Made of papier-maché, they were relatively easy to produce. Ours is decorated with a character, namely fu 福, in the middle, which can be translated as luck. Moreover, it is decorated with facial hair and shaped with likeliness of a tortoise, which is also associated with good fortune.
Nowadays, they are popular objects sold in many places around the globe. Even in the Netherlands you can easily get your hands on one of these. If you have a wish that needs fulfilling, you might want to consider picking one up. Hopefully Daruma will help fulfill your wish.
Daruma dolls