Takasaki City is Japan’s No. 1 “Daruma City
Takasaki Daruma, also called “Toyooka Daruma,” is widely popular throughout Japan. The scene of an elected politician putting black eyes on a Daruma doll at the time of an election is often seen on TV. Most of these daruma dolls are Takasaki daruma, and Gunma Prefecture is a “daruma town” that accounts for the majority of daruma doll production.
Daimon-ya, the home of Daruma dolls, is a long-established Daruma doll shop with a 200-year history. The shop produced a Samurai Blue Daruma doll for the 2010 World Cup.
Entering the workshop, Daruma dolls in the process of being made are crammed into a small space, and they are placed like bells on the floor. In between the Daruma dolls, a craftsman was painting them.
At this workshop, visitors can try their hand at painting Daruma dolls. Visitors can choose a Daruma doll of their choice, and then make their own original Daruma doll by painting on the doll’s eyes and beard while expressing their wishes. The Daruma doll Nakata chose was yellow. He said he was praying for traffic safety. What? I wonder how I should draw it,” Nakata wondered as he compared his brush with a model Daruma doll, which was a wonderful model.
However, he is not able to make as much progress as he would like because the model’s eyebrows and beard are so splendid. Finally, he finished the Daruma doll with the names “NAKATA” and “JAPAN” and a very fine eyebrow and beard, while stealing a glance at his master’s brush. Finally, the master added the words “Traffic Safety” in green letters to complete the work.
For more than 200 years, the Takasaki Daruma has been watching over people’s well-being. The rounded shape of the doll means “seven falls and eight rises. It is a powerful figure that conveys to the present day the teaching that even if you fall down, you will always get back up again.
