How to use Japanese Daruma doll for goal setting

Introducing the Japanese Daruma doll. It’s the start of a new year, we all have big goals, I’m a big fan of throwing everything at it, to make it work. So let me introduce you to this little magical fella which is popular in Japanese culture.

The Daruma doll a traditional Japanese toy. It is a hollow, round figure modelled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism. Though these dolls are often classed as toys, they have a long history and deep symbolic meaning and are considered good luck talismans.

Traditional Daruma dolls are viewed as a symbol of perseverance, making them a popular gift of encouragement. The classic Daruma doll is a cultural icon in Japan and are sold as souvenirs and good luck charms. Although you usually see them on sale around the new years period, you can also find them all year around at some temples and tourist hotspots.

The dolls are typically red, but they can be found in a variety of colours and designs, depending on the region and the artist. Daruma dolls are also popular for making wishes and goal setting, where the owner paints one eye while making a wish and then colouring in the other eye when the goal is achieved.

Japanese Daruma dolls, how to use them for goal setting, a watercolour image of a daruma doll

Who invented the daruma doll?

Great question. The sources suggest that the Daruma doll’s origins are somewhat complex, with different aspects of the doll being developed at different times by different people.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the history of the Daruma:

Bodhidharma: The doll is modelled after Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk who lived in the 5th century CE and is credited with founding Zen Buddhism. However, Bodhidharma did not invent the dolls.
Shorinzan Daruma Temple: The current symbolism associated with Daruma dolls as good luck charms originated at the Shorinzan Daruma Temple in Takasaki city, Japan. The founder of the temple would draw New Year’s charms depicting Bodhidharma.
Temple Monk: At some point, a monk at the Shorinzan Darumaji Temple created a wooden mould for the papier-mâché dolls. This was to help farmers in Takasaki make their own charms to sell at festivals as a sideline business. Nice little side hustle, I approve! These good-luck charms were originally given with a one-year effectiveness, so people needed new ones every year. A clever bit of marketing there!
Takasaki Farmers: The first versions of the commercial Daruma dolls were crafted by local farmers in the city of Takasaki, Gunma prefecture, as charms to be blessed by monks. The farmers’ livelihoods depended heavily on luck, so they created these dolls to help them with their harvests as talisman of good luck but also as extra income in case their harvest failed.
Okiagari Koboshi: The round shape of the Daruma doll was inspired by the okiagari-koboshi, a traditional doll with a weighted base that always returns to an upright position when knocked over. Like a weeble, if you are old enough to remember those. The okiagari-koboshi toy was introduced from Ming China around 1368–1644.

Basically, while the Daruma doll is based on the figure of Bodhidharma, the dolls themselves were developed through a combination of religious practice, local needs and ingenuity, and early toy designs.

The temple monks, along with local farmers, played a key role in the creation and commercialisation of Daruma dolls as we know them today.

Japanese Daruma dolls, how to use them for goal setting, a large 2m doll with 2 men standing next to them

What are daruma dolls made from?

Daruma dolls are traditionally made from papier-mâché. The papier-mâché is a special kind of handmade paper called washi. The washi is made from fibre, vats and a limited amount of chemicals, through a process of beating, often by hand, and drying in the sun, or on heated plates. Washi paper is very resilient.

The process of making Daruma dolls is labour intensive. The dolls are individually hand-painted by craftspeople, and no two dolls are exactly alike. The dolls are typically hollow and weighted at the bottom. The traditional Daruma doll has a rounded base, which allows them to return to an upright position when tilted.

They also come in a multitude of sizes, from tiny keychain dolls to huge dolls. The big ones can often be seen in a company lobby or restaurant/store often along side a maneki neko.

Japanese Daruma dolls, how to use them for goal setting, a large italian design daruma doll, both eyes painted

How do you set the goal with a daruma doll?

When you set a goal with a Daruma doll, it’s traditional to first colour in the doll’s left eye as you set your goal. Once the goal is achieved, the right eye is then filled in.

The low-down behind this is tradition:

Setting the goal: The act of painting the left eye is symbolic of setting your goal and making a commitment to achieving it. It’s basically a visual reminder of what you’re working towards.
Write It Down: Some people like to write their goal on the bottom of the doll. This seems to be a personal preference.
Motivation: With only one eye coloured in, the Daruma serves as a constant reminder of the goal. The idea is that seeing the one-eyed doll will motivate you to work hard to complete your task so that you can give the Daruma its other eye. For this reason your Daruma should be kept where you can see it.
Full Sight: You are essentially promising the Daruma that you’ll give it full sight (by colouring in the right eye) once your goal is accomplished.
Completion: When you finally reach your objective, you colour in the right eye. This signifies the completion of your goal, and is also seen as a way of thanking the Daruma for helping you.

While the left eye is always the first to be coloured in when setting a goal, the Matsukawa style Daruma doll is produced with both eyes already painted. The reason for this is for the doll to watch over the family’s home.

Although the tradition of which eye to colour first is specific, the most important aspect of the Daruma doll is the commitment to achieving a goal, and the idea of perseverance. So don’t panic if you accidentally colour in the wrong one!

Japanese Daruma dolls, how to use them for goal setting, a pile of daruma dolls ready to be burned at the temple

Do you have to return the daruma doll to the temple after one year and burn it?

It is a common practice to return the Daruma doll to the temple it was purchased from after one year, and to burn it. This ceremony is called daruma kuyō.

This is what usually happens:

When: The burning ceremony usually takes place right after New Year’s Day. Such as at the Shorinzan Nanakusa Taisai Daruma Market Festival, which starts on January 6th. It is a popular time to choose a new Daruma for the year. Most Japanese people visit the shrine and/or temple at new year. Then they will buy a new Daruma at the time along with taking the previous one back.
Purpose: The burning is done regardless of whether the goal was achieved. It is seen as a way to express gratitude to the Daruma doll.
Renewal: The burning is not meant to be seen as giving up on a goal. Rather, it is a renewal of one’s vow, and a commitment to buy a new Daruma. (Great marketing!)
Ceremony: Temples hold these burning ceremonies, where people bring their Daruma dolls from the previous year. The old Daruma figures are burned together in the temple. Often accompanied by a solemn display of monks’ entry, reading of sutras, and the blowing of horns.
Where: The most renowned of these events are held at the Nishi-Arai Daishi Temple (Tokyo) and the Dairyū-ji Temple (Gifu). You can also bring your Daruma to any local Buddhist temples, shrines, or hatsuichi festivals to burn them.
Not required: Although returning the Daruma to be burnt after a year is a common practice. It is not a strict requirement. The Daruma is typically kept until a goal has been achieved, which is frequently within a year. But the focus is on commitment to achieving the goal. So if you didn’t quite reach your goal, hang onto that little fella a bit longer.
Recycling: “Recycling” or “resetting” a Daruma doll is not something that is typically done. The doll is considered a personalised object, so it would be weird to reuse it.

The burning of the Daruma at the end of the year is a significant part of the tradition. The burning is a way to release the deity and prepare for a new year of goal setting.

Do the different colours of a daruma doll have any significant meaning?

Yes, the different colours of a Daruma doll do have significant different meanings, although the specific associations can vary.

This is the most common symbolism for the various colors:

Red: This is the most traditional and common colour for Daruma dolls. Red is associated with general good fortune and is often purchased for overall luck. The colour may have originated from the colour of a high ranking Buddhist priest’s, who traditionally wore red robes. It is also thought that red was used during smallpox outbreaks. As the colour was believed to please the god of smallpox and help ward off illness. (I have my doubts about how effective that was!)
Gold or Yellow: These colours are typically associated with wealth and prosperity. A gold Daruma is often chosen for those seeking financial success.
Black: Black is meant to ward off bad luck, and is associated with business success.
Green: Green Daruma are often used to symbolise health and fitness, or for maintaining a strong will.
Blue: A blue Daruma can represent victory in sports and competition. The Matsukawa Daruma is typically blue, and is meant to watch over a family’s household.
Pink: Pink Daruma are often used to represent love.
Purple: Purple is considered the colour for health and longevity.

I should point out that while these are common associations, the meanings of different colours may vary depending on the region, the specific maker, or individual beliefs. Over time the colours of Daruma dolls have changed, and in modern times they can be found in all sorts of colours, each one signifying a different auspice.

I often buy completely blank Daruma dolls at the home centre, you can then paint them whichever way you like and create your own original dolls. If you go this route, I usually use water-based paints to do mine. The artist From JuJu With Love creates some beautiful Daruma dolls.

If you don’t have access to buying a doll, check the bottom of the post where you can get Daruma printables instead to teach your kids about them.

What about the patterns and shape of the Daruma doll?

Daruma dolls are packed with symbolism, right down to the tiniest detail!

The most obvious thing is their round, limbless shape which represents the story of Bodhidharma. The monk sat meditating for so long that, according to legend, his arms and legs fell off! This is why Daruma dolls don’t have arms or legs and are designed to always bounce back up, symbolising resilience and the saying “seven times down, eight times up”.

Even the facial hair is symbolic; the eyebrows are often shaped like cranes, and the beard like a turtle, both animals that represent long life in Asian culture.

These details are meant to match the Japanese proverb: “The crane lives 1000 years, the turtle 10,000″.

Daruma dolls sometimes have kanji characters written on their midsection. These characters often relate to the doll’s purpose, and can include words such as “luck”, “fortune” or “perseverance”.

What happens if you don’t meet your goal in one year?

The Daruma gods come down and jump on your head!

No, no, they don’t, nothing so sinister.

If you don’t meet your personal goal within one year, you can still follow the tradition of returning your Daruma doll to the temple it was purchased from to be burned. Or you can keep the doll until you do meet your goal, it’s totally up to you!

Here’s what happens you can do if you don’t achieve your goal in a year:

Return and burn: Take your Daruma back to the temple to be burned, usually at a ceremony after New Year’s Day. This is part of the tradition and is done to free the deity from the doll. You are supposed to return it to the same temple but you don’t really have to, nobody checks!
Renewal, not failure: The act of burning the Daruma isn’t a sign of giving up on your goal. Instead, it’s seen as a renewal of your vow and a chance to re-commit to the same goal or a new goal with a new Daruma. I like this idea, especially when your goal has had to be put on hold or for whatever reason you didn’t meet the year deadline.
Buy a new Daruma: If you are still working towards your goal, traditionally you would buy a new Daruma doll. By doing so, you are recommitting to your original goal, or setting a new one.
Focus on commitment: The focus of the Daruma doll is on the commitment to achieve a goal. The act of painting the eye represents your commitment, and the burning of the doll after a year is a renewal of that commitment. I find this so much more rewarding than half-assed New Years resolutions.
Personal meaning: The process is personal to each individual. The burning of the doll is not about whether the goal was met, but the commitment to striving towards it. And if you don’t want to, you don’t have to share that goal with anyone!

To Wrap Up:

The Daruma doll tradition focuses on the journey and the commitment to a goal, rather than solely on the achievement of the goal within one year. Even if you do not achieve your goal in a year, you can still renew your commitment, often by purchasing a new Daruma.

The type of goal is completely up to you, it can be something as personal as losing weight, passing an exam, finding a soul mate or it could be something bigger and connected to business such as hitting a sales target or reaching an expansion and growth goal.

If you are visiting Japan, Daruma dolls make great gifts as they are both a uniquely Japanese and they are light and sturdy and come in a variety of sizes. You can also find themed Daruma, like Hello Kitty or representing the Chinese calendar animal of the year.

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