Okiagari-koboshi facts for kids
.jpg)
Okiagari-koboshi or Okiagari-kobōshi (起き上がり小法師, getting-up little boy) is a Japanese traditional doll. The toy is made from papier-mâché and is a roly-poly toy, designed so that its weight causes it to return to an upright position if it is knocked over. Okiagari-kobōshi is considered a good-luck charm and a symbol of perseverance and resilience.
Daruma dolls
One kind of Daruma doll works on the same principle as okiagari-kobōshi and is sometimes referred to by that name; whenever it is thrown down, it rights itself. This depiction of the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma likely arose in connection with a legend that says that he once meditated for nine years, which caused his legs to either atrophy or fall off. A 17th-century children's song shows that the okiagari-kobōshi Daruma dolls of the time were almost identical to their modern equivalents:
ひに！ ふに！Hi ni! fu ni!
ふんだん達磨が Fundan Daruma ga
赤い頭巾かぶりすんまいた! Akai zukin kaburi sunmaita!Once! twice!
Ever the red-hooded Daruma
Heedlessly sits up again!
Paper mache Daruma dolls without eyes are bought by those who have a goal in mind. The left eye is drawn in at the beginning of the quest, the right upon achieving it. For example, those hoping for recovery from an illness, or others wishing for their recovery would buy one for that purpose.
