VOL.209 NOVEMBER 2025
ENJOYING JAPAN’S MARKETS
Nanakusa Taisai Daruma Market at the Temple where the Lucky Daruma Began
At the Nanakusa Taisai Daruma Market, stalls selling lucky Daruma dolls line the temple grounds.
Photo: Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple
The Nanakusa Taisai Daruma Market, held every year at Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, is a traditional event that combines prayers for the stars with wishes tied to lucky Daruma dolls. The market draws large crowds of visitors each year.
Takasaki City in Gunma Prefecture, about an hour from JR Tokyo Station by Shinkansen, is known as a center for the production of lucky Daruma1 dolls. The symbol of this tradition is Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple, regarded as the birthplace of the lucky Daruma. Every year, from January 6 to 7, the temple hosts the Nanakusa2 Taisai Daruma Market.
HIROSE Isshin, the temple’s deputy chief priest, explains: “The principal image enshrined at the center of the temple is the Hokushin-chintaku Reifuson, a deified representation of the North Star and the Big Dipper. A grand prayer ritual is held at 2 a.m. on January 7, when the stars are believed to exert their strongest influence. The Nanakusa Taisai has been celebrated since ancient times as a festival tied to this star worship, and it continues to attract devotees to this day.”
The Nanakusa Taisai Daruma Market traces its origins to a famine3 at the end of the 18th century. At that time, the temple’s ninth-generation chief priest, Togaku Osho, carved wooden molds himself and taught villagers how to make hariko4 (papier-mâché) Daruma dolls to help local farmers. Selling these Daruma dolls at the temple’s ennichi5 (“festival day for good luck”) became widely popular, eventually developing into the Daruma Market known today. For this reason, Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple is regarded as the birthplace of the lucky Daruma, a legacy that continues to draw crowds. “Daruma-making was a wisdom that once saved people’s lives, and it continues today as a symbol of resilience in the face of hardship,” says HIROSE.
The grand festival begins on the evening of January 6 and continues through the night until the evening of January 7. Some 20 to 30 Daruma stalls and food vendors line the temple grounds, drawing crowds of visitors. The 230 stone steps leading up to the temple are illuminated by lanterns, creating a magical scene that guides worshippers to the temple.
“The sight of people praying through the night is unique to this grand festival,” says HIROSE. “The entire temple grounds are enveloped in an atmosphere of devotion, allowing visitors to experience a truly special moment.”
The lucky Daruma is a symbolic feature of the grand festival. HIROSE explains, “The eyebrows are shaped like cranes facing each other, and the mustache from the nose to the mouth represents turtles facing each other. On both sides of the face, wishes for household safety or business prosperity are inscribed, and the belly typically bears the large characters fuku-iri (“filled with good fortune”). Visitors sometimes write their names on the dolls as well.”
At Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple, the ritual of kaigen is first performed, in which a monk places a black pupil in one eye of a Daruma doll, “opening its eyes” and filling it with spirit and prayers. Visitors then take the Daruma home and, while making a wish, complete the left eye. The right eye is drawn once the wish is fulfilled or after safely completing the year, in keeping with tradition.
Photo: Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple
The grand festival attracts not only local residents but also visitors from across Japan and abroad. In recent years, the number of visitors from Southeast Asia, including Taiwan and Thailand, has been increasing. “In the past, most visitors came in groups, but recently more people are visiting individually,” says HIROSE. The tradition of entrusting wishes to Daruma dolls transcends language barriers, offering overseas visitors an accessible way to experience Japan’s culture of prayer and devotion.
The Nanakusa Taisai Daruma Market continues today as a traditional event that closely links ritual prayer with the lively atmosphere of the market. Holding a lucky Daruma doll filled with personal prayers offers visitors a tangible experience of a culture deeply rooted in Japanese daily life—one that will continue to be passed down across generations.
- 1. A paper doll modeled on the seated meditation posture of Bodhidharma (Daruma), a Buddhist monk. Considered a good-luck charm for prosperity and protection from misfortune.
- 2. Refers to seven young herbs that sprout in spring—water dropwort (seri), shepherd’s purse (nazuna), cudweed (gogyo), chickweed (hakobera), nipplewort (hotokenoza), turnip (suzuna), and radish (suzushiro)—traditionally believed to ward off evil. In Japan, on January 7, these herbs are chopped and cooked with rice in water to make seven-herb rice porridge (nanakusa-gayu), eaten to pray for a healthy year.
- 3. Refers to the Tenmei famine of the 1780s in Japan, when eruptions and cold weather led to poor harvests and widespread hunger.
- 4. A traditional Japanese technique in which multiple layers of Japanese paper are pasted over bamboo or wooden molds to create shapes. Widely used for dolls, toys, and other items.
- 5. A day to form a connection with deities and Buddhas. Visiting a temple or shrine on this day is believed to bring special blessings. At temples and shrines, festival days are held, combining prayer with festive activity.
By KUROSAWA Akane
Photo: Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple; PIXTA