Showing posts with label INFO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label INFO. Show all posts

2010/02/09

Matsu the Pine

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Matsu - The Pine and Daruma
松と達磨


- Matsu - I will wait (matsu) forever


source : pixta.jp/photo


MATSU in Japanese can either mean "A pine tree" or the verb "to wait".


The symbolic meaning of the Pine Tree is "Long Life".

Pine trees show abundand green even in the fiercest of winter and hardly dry out, so they have been a symbol of long life in China since old times. As symbol of good luck and agelessness this tree has stood in veneration and together with the bamboo and plum tree as become
an expression of celebration and joy 松竹梅。


The Beard of Daruma and
. shoochikubai 松竹梅 pine, bamboo, plum .


"Three friends of Winter", Pine, Bamboo and Plum
saikan sanyu 歳寒三友 Three Friends of Winter
. WKD : Pine (matsu) .


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source : MET museum of art

Daruma (Ta Mo) and Disciple under Pine Tree
Attributed to Shokei (active late 15th–early 16th century)



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source : arairyokan

Stone Daruma under a pine
temple Shuzen-Ji 修善寺



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The auspicios symbol of the pine is found in many places in Japan.
In the old Japanese poem collection Manyoshu『万葉集 there are many mentions of the pine tree like "growing abundantly like the pine tree".
During the New Year season it is the custom to place an arrangement of pine greenery at the corners of the manor (kadomatsu 門松), to pray for the well-beeing of the household during the coming year.

Gate Decoration with Pine, kadomatsu 門松
. WKD : Pine (matsu) .


Daruma as a symbol for the indomitable spirit of never giving up, toghether with the Pine - a display of such a Daruma contains the wish for the health and long life of people.


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We have seen similar Daruma figures in the story about Sanuki carving.

On a recent visit to the famous temple Zentsu-ji 善通寺in Shikoku I found an interesting piece of wood, honored in the temple grounds, which seems to be the ancestor of all the Sanuki carving pieces. This temple was build in memory of the birth of the famous Kooboo Daishi, originator of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, whom we have met frequently in these stories. The temple is not Nr. 1, as one might think, but Nr. 75 towards the end of the 88 temples.

"Kukai was born in 774 in Byobu-ga-ura (Screen Bay), an inlet village near Tadotsu in the Sanuki prefecture of Shikoku. Zentsuji, which is further inland also claims to be his birthplace pointing to a dilapidated temple said to be on the very spot once occupied by his parents' house."



In the garden of Zentsu-ji we find the famous "Pine of the Revered Image" 御影の松.
When Kukai came back to his birthplace after studying in China, he could not meet his mother. So he leaned over the pond 御影の池 Mikage no Ike, and had his features depict in the water. He then painted his features and sent this picture to his mother. The pine tree nearby, which witnessed this event, is withered now, but his huge body is still revered as a holy relic of the time.

When you stand in front of this huge piece of weatherbeaten wood, it still feels alive and vibrant with energy. You can imagine Daruma san or Kukai himself just climbing out of it any time.

There is another famous old tree of the temple compound, a huge camphor tree of more than 1200 years. It is said it has witnessed the birth of Kukai and was loved by the young boy, who run there to hide in the branches when in trouble.
弘法大師の誕生を見た大楠。


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source : pixta.jp/photo


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2010/02/08

Tsurukame

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Tsurukame ― Crane, Tortoise and Daruma
鶴亀とだるま



The Beard of Daruma was painted in the form of a snake (rather "Dragon"「蛇=龍」) in the beginning. Why did it change to a tortoise?


The beard is a snake 「蛇」
The beard is a turtiose 「亀」



This image dates from 1777 and shows a Tumbler Doll Daruma with Saigyoo Hooshi (a famous poet, Saigyo Hoshi 西行法師). This is probably the oldest picture of a Daruma Doll. From then on Daruma became a popular theme.



This illustration shows the face of this Daruma. His eyebrows are in the form of a crane and the beard clearly shows the form of a snake, or rather a wild dragon.




This is a modern classical Daruma Doll and as we can see the beard looks like a tortoise lifting its head."The crane lives 1000 years, the tortoise 10.000 years" as a Japanese proverb goes. Both animals are symbols of longevity.


But why was it a snake in the beginning?
And for what purpose did it change into a turtoise? And what about the combination with a crane? Maybe the tortoise is the painted version of the deformation of the snake's head and the scales?


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Tortoise and Snake  亀と蛇
I have checked out about the connection of Turtoise-Snake first and the story brings us back to ancient China.

In Chinese culture, especially under the influence of Taoism (道教) the turtoise is the symbol of heaven and earth, its shell compared to the vaulted heaven and the underside to the flat disc of the earth. The tortoise was the hero of many ancient legends. It helped the First Chinese Emperor to tame the Yellow River, so Shang-di rewarded the animal with a lifespan of Ten Thousand Years. Thus the turtoise became a symbol for Long Life.

It also stands for immutability and steadfastness. We often see stone grave steles on a stone tortoise or reliquiaries standing on it.
The tortoise is also regarded as an immortal creature. As there are no male tortoise - as the ancient believed - the female had to mate with a snake. Thus the turtoise embracing a snake became the protector symbol of the north, but since the word "tortoise" was taboo in Chinese, it was referred to as the "dark warrior" (genbu 玄武 ) and finally became one of the protector gods of the four areas, Zhenwu in Chinese Taoism.


This sone sculpture is part of a sarcophage of a Chinese aristocrat around 500, showing a turtoise entwined by a snake. The symbol of Zhenwu, the Protector God of the North, as tortoise and snake dates back to the third century B.C.


This one (which is a little hard to see) we have an ink rubbing from a stele from the Pagoda of Six Harmonies in Zhejiang province, China, from about 1586. Here we see Zhenwu, the Perfected Warrior, standing on the back of a tortoise entwined with a snake.


The two animals themselves where also used to represent the protector gods of the north. This tradition was carried over to Japan, where for example Tokugawa Ieyasu was very concious in choosing a place for his new capital, Edo, with a Mountain (Mt. Fuji) and the Dark Warrior in the north.


. The four protector deities of Edo  



During the birthday celebrations for a Chinese emperor, a crane and a turotise had to come forth and dance for him, praying for his long life. Then the emperor himself would perform a dance praying that his reign and life be long, his country be in peace and prosperous.

You can find out more about Taoism and Zhenwu in the magnificent catalog about "Taoism and the Arts of China".
http://www.asianart.com/exhibitions/taoism/


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Tsurukame tsuru kame 鶴亀 Tortoise and Crane

The connection between a turtoise and a crane also dates back to China. The crane too was a symbol of Long Life and also the symbol of the relationship of Father and Son according to the Confucian philosophy. Furthermore the crane is a symbol of wisdom. When a highranking Taoist priest died, it was said he was "turning into a crane".

In Japanese Buddhist art, we have a candle holder in the form of a crane standing on a tortoise (tsurukame shokudai 鶴亀燭台). This kind of temple decoration was often used by the New Sect of the Pure Land (joodo shinshuu 浄土真宗). Usually the crane was carrying a lotos flower with a long stem in his mouth and the flower was formed in a way to hold the candle. These types of illumination stands were produced since the Muromachi Period.

Tsuruame candleholder 鶴亀の燭台
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


At the famous Tooshoogu Shrine in Nikko, there is a huge monument in the form of Crane/Tortoise.
日光東照宮の鶴亀の燭台。                 
http://sat.cside3.jp/home/1/tra27-1-4.html





There is a store that sells Tsurukame zabuton covers.                
座布団にも鶴亀。
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


In the tradition of Kaga Yuuzen, there is also a door curtain (noren) with this decoration as a wedding present for a bride.
“Hanayome Noren”(花嫁のれん)is said to be the origin of " Kaga Yuzen" a sheet of cloth on which felicitous designs such as "Shoochikubai"(pine leaves, bamboo and plum flowers) or "Tsurukame"(crane and tortoise) are hand dyed and used as one of the bridal items.
http://www.kimono.or.jp/dic/eng/03Dye-Hokuriku.html



Finally a classic Noh-Play with this conspicious title.
能舞台にも鶴亀があります。
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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The famous Daruma from Shirawaka features more good luck symbols: The Pine/Bamboo/Plum with Crane/Tortoise. (Shoochikubai Tsurukame). The tradition goes back to Matsudaira Sadanobu (1758 -1829).
松平定信公のおかかえ画匠・谷文晁の考案によると伝えられる「鶴亀松竹梅」を取り入れた縁起だるま。

. Shirakawa Daruma 白川だるま  



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We still do not know when and why the snake changed to a tortoise on the face of Daruma, but we keep looking. But the roots of these animals as symbols for good luck and longevity go way back to ancient China and the Taoist tradition.

Finally just one more stone Daruma in my garden,
with Crane and Tortoise as his facial features in my collection.



鶴亀のだるまの顔や春うるら
tsurukame no Daruma no kao ya haru urara

crane and tortoise
on the face of Daruma san -
a fine spring day



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Crane, Grus japonensis (tsuru) as KIGO

Turtle, turtoise (kame) as KIGO


. WHO is Daruma ?


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亀どののいくつのとしぞ不二の山
kame dono no ikutsu no toshi zo fuji no yama

and how old are you
Mr. Turtle?
Mount Fuji


Kobayashi Issa
Tr. David Lanoue


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. Turtle folk toys .
the Urashima Taro Legend 浦島太郎



. Tsuru and Kame - kites from Izumo Shrine .
Legends and Folk Toys from Tottori


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kifu きふ (龟趺)
The [baxia 霸下 . guifu (龟趺)], big tortoises which like to carry heavy objects, are placed under grave-monuments.

hiiki 贔屓
The [bixi 贔屭], which have the shape of the chilong 螭龍, and are fond of literature, are represented on the sides of grave-monuments.
. hiiki 贔屓 / 贔負(ひいき) child of the dragon king .


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Meoto Fuufu and Enmusubi

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Meoto Daruma and Takasago - 高砂
Daruma and a Happy Couple

fuufu Daruma 夫婦だるま

The Takasago Legend 高砂伝説
This legend is one of the oldest in Japanese mythology. An old couple - his name is Joo (尉) and hers is Uba (媼) known together as Jotomba - are said to appear from the mist at Lake Takasago. The old man and his wife are usually portrayed talking happily together with a pine tree in the background. Signifying, as they do, a couple living in perfect harmony until they grow old together, they have long been a symbol of the happiness of family life. The story is portrayed in a famous Noo play "Takasago no Uta":

At Takasago Shrine there is a very old pine tree, the trunk of which is bifurcated (相生の松); in it dwells the spirit of the Maiden of Takasago who was seen once by the son of Izanagi who fell in love and wedded her. Both lived to a very great age, dying at the same hour on the same day, and since then their spirits abide in the tree, but on moonlight nights they return to human shape to revisit the scene of their earthly felicity and pursue their work of gathering pine needles.

His pine tree is also called "The Pine of Sumi-no-e" (住吉の松) and hers is the Takasago pine (高砂の松). The old woman is using a broom to sweep away trouble and he carries a rake to rake in good fortune. In Japanese this is also a play of words with "One Hundred Years" (haku > sweeping the floor) and "until 99 years" (kujuku made > kumade, meaning a rake).

In Japan, at wedding ceremonies, the Takasago song is recited and Takasago figures are put on a special "Island Shelf" called called Shimadai (島台) together with auspicious Pine-Bamboo-Plum and Crane with Turtle decorations placed in the wedding room and presented to the bridal couple. Depictions of the Takasago figures can be made from lacquer, ceramics, wood carvings and textiles and are to invoke a long and fruitful married life for the newlyweds. These figurines are also given as presents for a wedding aniversary of 25 or 50 or more years. For the diamond wedding aniversary of 60 years, some communities also give Takasago Dolls to the happy couple.

Takasago city is located in Hyogo prefecture in Western Japan. It is situated on the Seto Inland Sea approximately 40 kilometers west of Kobe. The settlement that became Takasago city was established on the delta at the mouth of the Kako River. This river formation gave rise to the name of "taka" "sago" which literally means "high" "sand", a reference to the vast amounts of sand deposited at the mouth of the Kako River.

Takasago is well known as the birthplace of classical song "Yookyoku Takasago", which is a famous wedding song throughout Japan, and thus the town was declared as "The Bridal City Takasago" in 1988.



Takasago Shrine 高砂神社
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

According to the shrine's legend, when the Empress Jinguu returned in triumph from Korea, her ship stopped at Takasago port. She built a large shrine to maintain control of the country. Keep reading more about this old legend on the following HP.
神功皇后が韓国から戻ったとき、船が高砂に着いたといわれています。


. Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 and Japanese Dolls .

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Text of the famous Wedding Song Takasago 高砂や

高砂や、この浦舟に帆をあげて、この浦舟に帆をあげて、月もろともに出で潮の、波の淡路の島影や、遠く鳴尾の沖過ぎて、
はや住の江に着きにけり、
はや住の江に着きにけり。

Takasago Bay!
Raising the sail on this cable,
together with the moonrise, the rising tide.
See, the reflection of Awaji Island
bove the waves far past the offing at Naruo.
We have reached Sumi-no-e, already.
We have reached Sumi-no-e, already!



The Noo Play of Takasago 能の高砂
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

You find a full translation of the Noo Play (Noh Play) "Takasago" on the following HP.
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/noh/TylTaka.html


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Collection Gabi Greve

Takasago Dolls -
as children, with masks of the old couple

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誰をかも知る人にせむ高砂の
松もむかしの友ならなくに


Tare o ka mo Shiru hito ni sen Takasago no
Matsu mo mukashi no Tomo nara naku ni

Who is still alive
When I have grown so old
That I can call my friends?
Even Takasago's pines
No longer offer comfort.


34 - Fujiwara no Okikaze 藤原興風

. Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Poems 小倉百人一首 .


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Takasago Dolls 高砂人形 Takasago Ningyoo

These figurines are usually a present for a wedding or wedding anniversary, as we have stated above. They are very carefully made and quite expensive, as suits the occasion. Usually the old man is placed on the left and the old lady on the right, as you face them. This is the traditional position for a pair at a wedding of the nobility. But lately at weddings the bride stands on the right side. Maybe this is a copy of the position of the Royal English Couple? Since olden times, the seat on the right has been the "Elevated Seat" (kamiza 上座) for the most noble person in the room. So maybe the position of the bride has changed in this way? We may only wonder who is the most important person at a wedding.

The groom says: "You will live until one hundred (haku made>using the broom), I will live until ninety nine (kujuku made>kumade>using the rake), together we will live happily until our hair turns white!"

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Takasago Dolls belong to the group of "Storytelling Dolls", depicting scenes of famous stories, actors, dancers or "tableaux" from familiar tales, often Noo plays.


Takasago Dolls of the Nara type -
Nara Ningyoo
奈良人形
CLICK for more photosNara Dolls typically represent Noo actors. Small wooden Noo figures painted in vivid colours were first used to decorate the hats of priests and musicians at the Kasuga Shrine festival in Nara. Other well known subjects are represented by Nara dolls, such as Jo and Uba, the happy old couple of Takasago.

Trees growing close together or two stems from one trunk are also called "meoto".
Meoto sugi 夫婦杉 pines growing like a couple
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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By chance I found a surprising Daruma item related to Takasago while writing this story.


Click on the photo to see the single figure.

At first it looks like some standing decoration figure, but as you might remember from the story about Sake pourers (Tokkuri) that the head comes off to become a little sake cup. This one is more wonderous. The head with the headband comes off and woo, there is a ladie's head beneath it. That one comes off too to bring you two cups for a happy couple.
Inside the head of Mr. Daruma we read:
"I will live until ninety-nine!" and
inside the head of Mrs. Daruma we read:
"I will live until one hundred!",
reminding us of the Takasago story and the hope that the wife will live just one year longer than her husband. The little tokkuri is just 11 cm high and nicely rounded to fit in a small hand.


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source : kyoudogangu.xii.jp

Monkeys as the Takasago couple 高砂(申)
clay dolls from Nagoya


. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .


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Meoto Daruma 夫婦だるま Mr. And Mrs. Daruma



MEOTO can also be read FUUFU and a memorial day for happy couples is the second day of the second month, 2月2日、since FU means TWO. Some hotels and restaurants also give special reductions for couples on the 22 of any month.
And if you blow on a hot soup in Japanese, your sound is: Fuu Fuu.


CLICK for more  ... blogari.zaq.ne


You buy them as a pair and keep them to remind you of the endurance and perseverance it takes to make a marriage sucessfull. They are sold at special temples and shrines dedicated to finding and keeping a partner for life. In some areas, dolls of the Daruma Couple are burned on the last day of the New Years festiviteis. Look at more pictures of this festival on January 14th.


CLICK for more photos



I already introduced a nice couple in the story of Wakasa Laquer.
Wakasa Daruma ― 若狭 だるま Laquer and achate stone


A Daruma Couple is from the Great Shrine at Miwa.
CLICK for more photos In the large compounds of this shrine there is a sacred stone formation like a loving couple (meoto-iwa 夫婦岩)、and the gate leading to this stones is called "Gate of bringing together a loving couple" (enmusubi no torii 縁結びの鳥居). Our Daruma seems to be growing a beard, since his chin is colored in light gray. They are both made of papermachee, about 4 cm high and come in a little box.

You can learn more about this wonderful shrine and the legends of this old site on the following HP.
http://www.oomiwa.or.jp/eng.html


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A couple within a couple of kokeshi dolls

Couple meoto kokeshi


and some manekineko cat with a Daruma couple

CAT fukuyama dorei

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Next we have a couple from Arima Hot Spring near Kobe City.
Legend has it that the Arima Hot Spring was discovered by the ancient gods and that it was inherited from an era of myths and legends. The Arima Hot Spring is the oldest hot spring in Japan and the name of the Hot Spring itself dates back to at least the Man-yoohshuu, the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry.
The Daruma couple is made of wood and they are standing in front of a folding screen like at a wedding reception. They are about 2 cm high, the screen is 5 cm. Mr. Daruma's belly is painted in white lines, hers in red.
http://www.arima-onsen.com/
http://www.kinzan.co.jp/



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Once a merchant had hung up the Takasago figures at the top of his entrance. It was a prosperous sweet shop.
Then the house and shop moved, but the Takasago figures did not like it at all, so they had to be left at the entrance.


In Aomori a girl left her family home to become a bride and live with her husband and an old couple who looked just like the Takasago elders. When the bull turned back, after the girl had descended to go inside, in his footsteps delicious Sake begun to sprinkle over the road. The girl has first thought to open a Sake making shop but now she turned it into a Sake drinking pub.
The husband eventually divorced his wife, but the shop came into decline soon after that.

- source : nichibun yokai database -

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Enmusubi and more Happy Couples  
縁結びだるま


If you are still looking for a good spouse, then you must pray to find a partner for life (enmusubi 縁結び). There are many shrines and temples in Japan specializing in this field of human activities and our Daruma sometimes comes as a go-between.



koimusubi 恋むすび binding together in love
with a little fragrance bag (nioibukuro) to go!


There are lot of amulets and talismans for all kinds of problems in life. One of them is the "Enmusubi Daruma", which often comes as two little plastic Darumas with a little bell each. This one was purchased at Tsuruga Castle in Aizu Wakamatsu.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


There are some shrines in Japan, dedicated to happy couples.
Here are just a few samples.


from . Shrine Akama Jingu 赤間神宮 .


fuufu wago 夫婦和合 for a harmonious couple
fuufu omamori 夫婦守り happy couple amulet
ryooen jooju 良縁成就 to keep a good match


The Waka Poet
. Kakinomoto Hitomaro 柿本人麻呂 Hitomaru 人丸 / 人麿 .
is venerated as a Deity for Good Couples at
Hitomaru Jinja 人丸神社
in the compound of Ikuta Shrine 生田神社 .
兵庫県神戸市中央区下山手通1-2-1 Kobe



. wagoojin 和合神 Wago-Jin - Deity of conjugal harmony .
葛飾北斎 Hokusai - 萬福和合神 Manpuku Wago-Jin

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Shinzan Jinja 新山神社(夫婦神社)
夫婦松 Pine for a couple
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Saifuku Meoto Jinja 齎福夫婦神社

Meoto Jinja in Osaka 大阪の夫婦神社

Meoto-Matsu at Akiba Jinja
Kasukabe no meoto matsu 春日部の夫婦松
Meoto-matsu, the married pine tree, is truly a natural wonder. A pine tree and maidenhair tree grow from a single trunk, branching out separately about a meter above ground. Meoto-Matsu was the sacred tree of Akiba-jinja Shrine.


. Izumo Taisha 出雲大社 Izumo Grand Shrine .
and the powerful enmusubi amulet


. Fushimi Inari Fox Shrine 伏見稲荷大社 .
Kyoto

. Hikawa Jinja 氷川神社 Saitama .

. Kifune Shrine 貴船神社 Kibune in Kurama .
Kyoto
むすび守袋型 Musubi bag form
むすび守文型 Musubi letter form


. . . . . and
. enkiri 縁切り to cut the bonds with someone .



akuen kiri omamori 悪縁切御守 to cut bad partnership


. Wara ningyoo 藁人形 straw dolls for curses .

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八百万の縁結び
六所神社 Rokusho Jinja - Tottori

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CLICK for more photos !

縁結び不動明王 Enmusubi Fudo Myo-O
near Joojuu-in 成就院 Joju-In, Jojuin Kamakura
- reference -



. Fudō Myō-ō, Fudoo Myoo-Oo 不動明王 Fudo Myo-O
Acala Vidyârâja - Vidyaraja - Fudo Myoo .


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Doll for a Lucky Couple Fukumusubi no Ningyoo
福結びの人形


In the collection of old Japanese legends, Koojiki, we read the story of Emperor Nintoku who fell in love with a fair princess of the Kibi area (present day Okayama prefecture) and came all the way by ship from Kyoto to meet her. Remembering this sweet love we have a papermachee doll of one body with two faces.
You can buy one at Okayama station or other famous tourist places in the prefecture. If you get one you have to write your own name and the name of your beloved on two slips of paper, make a longlasting knot of the slips and hide them inside the doll while wishing for a happy future for the both of you. That should do the trick!


meoto fukumusubi loving couple from Tsuyama

Here is one more special pair designed as ONE Daruma Doll with two faces. The producer, Mr. Nisaburo Yamashita had so many customers who wanted a male and female Daruma、 he decided to make it easier for them to buy just ONE doll.
両面だるま   山下仁三郎作
男達磨と女達磨


. Folk Toys from Okayama .

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Some Daruma Families だるま家族
Let us look at some happy Daruma families too, while we are at this subject.



Here is a group of Father, Mother and Child from Kibitsu Shrine, in the same area of Okayama prefecture as we have talked about above. They are made of clay (tsuchiningyoo 土人形) and are about 3 cm high. Father Daruma has a round face with only a round spot in the middle. Baby Daruma has a white bottom and both mother and child have very simple facial features. All three of them have a very heavy and broad bottom part. They are sold as a talisman for finding a partner, keeping one and having children with him. This talisman had been out of making for a while, but now you can get the funny family again.

. Shrine Kibitsu Jinja 吉備津神社 .

. Mingei Kukkii みんげいクッキー Mingei Folk Art Cookies .
Kibitsu Jinja Daruma 吉備津神社 だるま

. Folk Toys from Okayama .


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Kiyomizuyaki pottery from Kyoto


. WASHOKU - Meoto Tablewear for a happy couple  


. Hashi 福だるま夫婦箸 Chopsticks for a happy couple !  


. WASHOKU
enmusubi manjuu 縁結び饅頭 rice cakes
 
from Izumo Shrine, Shimane



Couple’s Day (fuufu no hi, Japan) February 2
a KIGO


Daruma Museum

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土産に買ふめをとまんじゆう初聖天
miyage ni kau meoto manjuu hatsu shooten

as a souvenir I buy
rice cakes for a good couple -
first Shoten ceremony


Sekido Takahiro 関戸高敬

Kankiten (Kangiten 歓喜天, also
Shooten 聖天;
Vinaayaka, Nandikeshvara, Ganesh)




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. Hanayome ningyoo 花嫁人形  bride dolls .
and wedding dolls


. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .


Enmusubi amulets . . . click for enlargement !

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[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
- #enmusubi #kibitsudaruma #wago #fuufu -
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2010/02/05

Me-ire painting eyes

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Me-ire - Painting Eyes for Daruma
達磨の目入れ


CLICK for more photos

Why are the eyes of a Daruma for Good Luck
(engi Daruma 縁起だるま) always white?


gankake Daruma 願掛けだるま Daruma to make a wish

In the beginning, Daruma dolls always had eyes painted. But in the Kanto area around Tokyo, Daruma Dolls with white eyes were sold during the New Years markets. The person who bought it or the priest at the temple had to paint one eye and cast a wish and after the year was over and the wish had come true, the other eye was painted and the doll then burned in a consecrating bonfire at the temple at Years End.
You then got a new one for the New Year and the circle begun again.

But why did the Daruma dolls not have eyes?
When the priest Bodhidaruma sat in a cave for nine years meditating, he had to fight sleepiness. He thought: "Because I have eyes, my eyelids fall over them and I start snoozing." So in a bold act he cut off his eyelids to keep awake. (The eyelashes, which he had thrown away, took root and turned into the tea bush to give us this wonderful wakening beverage, as legend knows!)

Another explanation seems more realistic. If you paint eyes on a Daruma Doll it gets some facial expression and if you are not a good painter, it might look akward or evil. So to sell your piece, it is a lot easier not to paint the pupils and leave the blame of facial expression with the customer when he paints the eyes himself.

The next step then was to cast a wish while painting an eye, then burn it after service time was over and buy a new one - who says they did not have good business ideas in Old Edo?! Daruma Dolls were very popular and the habit of getting a new one every year has stayed with us, as we can see at the many Daruma Markets during the New Years Season.

. WHO is Daruma ?  



mangan Daruma 満願だるま
Daruma after the fulfillment of a wish



. Gankake 願掛け wish-prayer, to make a wish .


. ganman no tai (gamman) 願満の鯛 
sea bream after the fulfillment of a wish .

Saint Nichiren and the Tanjo-Ji temple in Chiba.


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One easy iconographical feature to discern a Daruma are his big eyes. We have already heared that he cut off his eyelids while meditating in front of a wall, because he thought that would prevent him from falling asleep. These big eyes of Daruma are his trade-mark, so to speak.
A Daruma without eyes or rather pupils (menashi Daruma, me-nashi Daruma 目無しだるま) is also called
"Daruma to make a wish" (gankake Daruma 願掛けだるま).
. . . CLICK here for Photos for a Daruma without eyes!

It is usually a tumbler doll made out of papermachee according to the local traditions that are still alive now.
You buy a Daruma without pupils during the New Year celebrations and paint the left eye of Daruma while making your wish. Then you put him up at the Buddhist or Shinto altar in your home. At the end of the year, when the wish has come true, you paint the right eye of Daruma, while giving thanks, then carry Daruma to a temple to have it burned in a holy fire and buy a new one for the next year, and so on and so on.

According to Mr. Kido, the selling of Daruma dolls with eyes started around 1764. During that period, many children suffered of smallpox, which is especially dangerous for the eyes. A Daruma was then used at a talisman to protect from this eye affliction. Since a Daruma with no eyes painted has no special facial expression, the dealers soon sold Daruma dolls with no pupils painted and urged the customers to paint one pupil first and the second after they got better. This custom may have started around 1772. But with the vaccination against smallpox in the beginning of the Meiji period the use of eyeless Daruma as protector for the eyes also disappeared, or rather it changed to other departments of good luck in life.

Akai ... 赤いRed Hoosoo 疱瘡 
..Smallpox, Red and Daruma


The story of Daruma dolls is also closely linked to the production of silk and raising silkworms. During the first casting off the skin of the silkworm in spring (harugo), the fist (left) eye of Daruma is painted with the wish that they have many good moltings and grow big and fat. When the silkworms start spinning their cocoons in autumn (akigo) the second eye is painted.


In Takasaki at the famous Daruma temple Shoorin-zan 少林山 you have the eyes painted by the priest. In this case it is the left eye of Daruma.
Most other temples follow this rule.  


In Ogaki town, Gifu prefecture there is also the custom to start with the right eye of Daruma, since the right side generally is considered of higher rank than the left. Some politicians also start with the right eye of Daruma.


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There are of course other explanations.

The Buddhist or Shinto home altar common even now in a household is usually facing South. If you want to put your Daruma for Good Luck on this shelf to pray to it during the year, you put up Daruma with the back to the north and paint the first eye, facing east, to start the day and the New Year.
Then Daruma can watch over you during the day/year and in the evening the second eye (facing west) is painted. That makes a lot of sense to me. The equation of space and time as being one is very well represented in the statues of the 12 Heavenly Generals (juuni shinshoo 十二神将 ), which each represent 2 hours of the day and one of the 12 regions of the compass at the same time.

. Twelve Heavenly Generals 十二神将 
juuni shinshoo
 


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If you sit back for a while and meditate about time, usually the idea of the past comes up from behind and your left, while the future is projected into the space before you and to your right.
In the temple Jindai-ji the eyes of Daruma are painted in the form of the first and last syllabel of the Sanskrit alphabet (bonji, shuji) , representing the Beginning and End, the course of time in the eyes of Daruma. Of course if you meditate longer, you come to the point to realize that there is NO past and future, but only this very moment, but that is a different problem altogether. Maybe that is another lesson we can learn from a Daruma without eyes. By the way, many Buddha statues are depicted with eyes half closed (hangan) so as to see through time and space, past and future, here and there and all the dualistic concepts we build up in this world.

Jindai-ji Temple and the Sanskrit ajikan meditation 阿字観


. A-UN, the alpha and omega and Buddha statues  


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Some people also believe, if you paint both eyes for Daruma at the same time, he has more power to watch over you and make your wish come true. But as one priest explained to me:

"You can make a wish and put up a Daruma,
but you yourself have to work towards the fulfillment and make a big effort, otherwise nothing will change in your life!
Daruma can only remind you at this
every day you pray to him."
If your wish is too unrealistic to come true, even Daruma cannot help you, so be careful about the things to wish.

But how long should we wait until the wish is fulfilled? Until the next New Year? After the Election? After getting well from a disease? Usually the New Year is the time to bring the Daruma back to the temple or shirne, but some people prefer to keep him as a memento and put him up at a shelf. Some carry him back after the election is lost.
So basically you can do as you please.


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Here is one more story to explain why, by Mr. Minegishi.

In the Genroku period the priest Shunkai Zenji of the temple Kokubun-ji in Nagano prefecture was suffering from an eye disease. He had a statue from a carver in Kyoto of a Daruma with no eyes, so he prayed to this statue for healing. Well, what do you know, his eyes got better and soon after he was completely healed he performed a ceremony to paint the eyes for his Daruma (kaigan shiki 開眼式). The people who heared this story started praying to Daruma figures with no eyes, made of local clay, and soon the temple was famous for healing eye diseases. People who were healed brought their Daruma to the temple to be stored in a special hall.


But let us be franc, does it really matter?
As long as the person who gets the Daruma is happy with the result, he can paint the first eye in his favorite direction. What is important is to tell Daruma while you paint: "If you work hard for me and my wish comes true, I will paint your second eye." But there are also folks who paint both eyes at the same time, telling Daruma "Well, I give you both eyes now, so you can work even better for me!" What matters is the sincerity and intensity of your wish, not the location of the eyes.

"Paint the eye as it pleases you most to make your wish come true and work yourself hard to make it happen!" is maybe the best advise we can give to people who turn to a Daruma for good luck.



me ga deru 目が出る

In Japanese there is a saying "to have good luck" "Me ga deta" (the eyes come out, meaning to have the higher number in a game of dice), or a play with words like "Congratulatory" “ME-DE-tai” (eyes coming out), so the eyes are important symbols for winning good luck. There are some Daruma figures, especially little talismans you buy at a temple or shrine, where the eyes pop out to invoke this saying. Here is one you can even order online at the shrine Tenman-gu in Kobe.



Me Dashi Daruma ... 目だしダルマ
Daruma with protruding eyes. Me ga deru, to have good luck!


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A Belgian company about emotional intelligence, time management and self-discipline uses a Daruma for its advertising campaign.
FROM a Daruma with one eye TO a Daruma with both eyes.

The Daruma doll from Japan is a visual aid to help achieve results. The pupils have to be added to the whites of the eyes one at the time. The first one when a goal is set, the second one on its achievement. The idea is that the unseeing eye will remind you that the goal has not been reached and so prompt you to take action.
The Daruma doll is used in the Time Manager to remind you of your goals - thus to:
Translate your thoughts into action!

Time Manager Daruma Doll


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Kaigan Kuyo Ceremony 開眼

When making a Buddha statue, the most important part are the eyes, which are usually done last and sometimes a big celebration is connected with this event. Maybe the biggest of them all was the great ceremony held for the Big Buddha at the Todai-ji in Nara in the year 752, where the Indian priest Bodaisenna performed the rites of painting the eyes and music and delegations from all over Buddhist Asia were present.

CLICK for more photos
天平勝宝4年(752年)、大仏の目に筆で瞳を描いて魂を迎え入れる儀式-「大仏開眼供養会」-が行われました。開眼の導師を勤めたのはインドの僧侶、波羅門僧正・菩提僊那(ぼだいせんな)です。

東大寺大仏開眼1250年慶讃大法要
Todai-Ji Kaigan Kuyo Ceremony

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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Tibetan Daruma-Buddha

Talking about the eyes of Buddha statues, the Great Eyes of some stupas in Nepal come to mind. The eyes of the stupa of Swayambunath are overlooking the town of Katmandu, whereas the stupa of Bodnath is situated in a natural mandala in the middle of the valley and the huge eyes seem to see anything that is going on in the area.

. Tibetan Daruma  


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. The fiery eyes of Daruma
and more variations on Japanese Curry.

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Not only Daruma helps to make a wish, there are other amulets too.

gankake omamori 願掛け守り amulet to make a wish

. Gankake 願掛け wish-prayer, to make a wish .

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Aoi Me no Daruma 青い目の達磨 <> Blue Eyes of Daruma
.... Eye-opening Ceremonies for Buddhastatues



Hisshoo Daruma 必勝ダルマ to win an election
(Hissho Daruma, Certain Victory)
Politicians painting eyes for Daruma


Yen Eyes, Dollar Eyes Papermachee Daruma Dolls


Daruma Museum

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2010/02/01

Katsu - Koan

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Katsu !! - Koan and Daruma
喝と達磨さん―公案散歩



CLICK for enlargement !



In the belly of Daruma san are mikuji sacred lots.
Take one home for good luck !

source : Koakuma at Ise Shrine

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A koan is a riddle of sorts, put to a student of Zen by his master.
There are many ways to tackle these problems, so I will show you some stories about the use of KATSU, also written KWATS 喝, as a means to help wake up the sleeping mind.



For the practical study of Zen, you must pass the barriers set up by the masters of Zen. The attainment of this mysterious illumination means cutting off the workings of the ordinary mind completely. If you have not done this and passed the barrier, you are a phantom among the undergrowth and weeds. Now what is this barrier? It is simply "Mu", the Barrier of the Gate of Zen and this is why it is called "The Gateless Barrier of the Zen Sect."


The following illustration shows the Chinese character MU 無, written with many small MU to make one big MU. MU is maybe the most wellknown koan.
無と言う考案は多分一番よく知られている考案です。無と言う小さい漢字を使いながら、無と言う大きな無を書きました。

MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU

CLICK for more MU                 

MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU



Master Mumon 無門禅師
Mumon was born in 1183, towards the end of the Sung Dynasty, 960-1279. He went to see Getsurin, the seventh successor of Yogi, at Manjuji Temple. Getsurin, who was famous for his severity, gave him the koan of Mu to study. After six years, Mumon had still not solved his problem.....(text cut)
The next day, when Mumon went to his interview with Getsurin, he wanted to tell him about his vision, but Getsurin asked him, "Where did you see the god? Where did you see the Devil?" Mumon said "Kwatz!" Getsurin said "Kwatz!" and they kwatzed each other, ad infinitum, more or less.....


Mind is Buddha
This is a famous story about a KATSU that even shocked the great warlord Oda Nobunaga.

"Mind is Buddha" is the phrase for one who wants medicine while he has no disease. "No Mind, No Buddha" is given to those who have been cured of disease but still cling to medicine. A monk asked Baso, "Why do you teach that Mind is Buddha?" Baso replied, "To stop a baby's crying." The monk asked, " What is it like when the baby stops crying?" Baso answered, "No Mind, no Buddha."

In connection with "Mind is Buddha,"there is an interesting story in Nanbanji Kohai-ki (History of Nanbanji):

In the 16th century, a great religious debate was held at Nanbanji between Buddhists and a Portugese Catholic Father who was much favored by Oda Nobunaga, an influential feudal lord of that time. The Portugese Priest was a man of wide erudition and was familiar with the Buddhist Sutras. Representatives of various Buddhist schools were all debated down by his eloquence. Finally Zen Master In of Nanzenji in Kyoto was selected as the last debater. The Portugese Priest asked, "What is Buddha?" "Mind is Buddha" answered Master In. The Portugese Father now unsheathed a dagger, thrust it at Master In's chest, and demanded, "What is 'Mind is Buddha'?" Master In, not perturbed in the least, shouted: "KWATZ!"

The Portugese Priest fell into a swoon in spite of himself and the audience including Lord Nobunaga, all paled.
― from Zenkei Shibayama, Zen Comments on the Mumonkan (1974), p. 225
http://www.wisdomportal.com/Enlightenment/ZenMasterIn.html

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Calligraphy by Nantenbo
. Nantenboo 南天棒 Nantenbo (1839 - 1925) .


KATSU and therapeutic hitting by Rinzai Zenji
The master would not hesitate to strike the disciple physically to resolve the koan. Such resolution once had the monk slapping the master, Obaku, and yelling: "There is not, after all, much in the Buddhism of Obaku." Rinzai explains this idea of 'therapeutic hitting': "Many students are not free from the entanglement of objective things. I treat them right at the spot. If their trouble is due to grasping hands, I strike them there. If their trouble comes from their mouths, it is there I strike." Rinzai was also famous for shouting Katsu!, a nonsensical word, as an answer to koans.
http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/arts/new-age-fiction/koan.asp


A Modern MU interpretation
The correct answer to the classic trick question "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?". Assuming that you have no wife or you have never beaten your wife, the answer "yes" is wrong because it implies that you used to beat your wife and then stopped, but "no" is worse because it suggests that you have one and are still beating her. According to various Discordians and Douglas Hofstadter the correct answer is usually "MU", a Japanese word alleged to mean "Your question cannot be answered because it depends on incorrect assumptions".
by www.sra.co.jp/


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source : store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/garandou


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Nakamaura sensei is probably the best-known scholar of Buddhism.

The Non-Logical Character of Zen: By Hajime Nakamura

Talking about Nakamura sensei, here is one more book I would like to introduce, if you are seriously interested in the comparative studies of Buddhism and its development in various Asian countries.
Nakamura, Hajime:
The Ways of Thinking of Eastern Peoples

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- source : googeling for 喝 達磨 -












yaru ki Daruma やる気達磨 in Mie


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Master Gempo and the Silent Kwats
On this HP you can meet the wonderful Master Gempo and his way to live KATSU.
Please take the time and read the full article about Gempo Roshi. I am sure you will find something new and refreshing for your daily zazen practise.
"I often read from the Rinzai Roku and many of you may think, "What is the significance of all those Kwatz?" A Kwatz is not necessarily a shout. There are silent Kwatz, smiling Kwatz, drinking Kwatz. Gempo Roshi was a master of all these. "
... www.daibosatsu.org


To Kwats or not to Kwats!
A master demanded of his disciple:"Show me the Ultimate!"
"KWATZ!" responded the disciple.
The master shook his head.
"KWATZ!!!" the disciple tried again.
The master replied,
"Even if you Kwatz! for countless eons, you still won't get IT!"


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Checking about KATSU I also ended up in some restaurants called Daruma selling cutlet (pronounced "katsu" in Japanese) and food items.

. WASHOKU
tonkatsu 豚カツ cutlet from pork



Hamburger Cotelettes KATSU Daruma Food
合格祈願エビカツバーガー to pass examinations

Kushikatsu Daruma ... 串カツ『だるま』
Restaurant in Osaka. Kushiyaki Food


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Yahata Kumano Shrine,
Ichinokura, Tajimi-shi, Gifu



- source : Aoi on facebook -


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The sound of KATSU can be written with other Chinese characters too. Here is one more KATSU 勝, meaning to WIN, which we have found on the belly of Daruma dolls too. This store sells merchandise to Win.

Katsu Coaster

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When Daruma san is in the KATSU mode, as we might put it in modern speach, he stretches out his right arm, fist clenched holding his rosary, which is falling back on the arm with the force of the movement. The beard sometimes too seems to be standing on edge and the facial expression is full attention.

A large and very imposing Japanese lacquered hardwood carving of the seated Daruma with his clenched fist outstretched to repel demons. The body and head are carved as one, the outstretched arm is carved separately and attached to the main carving. The surface of the piece is covered with a lacquer finish. The effect is extremely strong, lively, and full of character.




There is also a clay bell with a KATSU Daruma with outstretched fist.



clay bell with KATSU Daruma from:
. Ninomiya Jinja 二宮神社 Shrine Ninomiya .
Kobe, Hyogo

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Now let us look at some Daruma of this kind in my collection.

My PHOTO ALBUM


My very own story about KATSU needs a German-English speaking person with a computer and a pet.



My Cat Haiku Kun


what does it take
to enlighten a mouse ?
a good KATZ !

what does it take
to write online haiku ?
a good mouse !




KOAN and Haiku (01) .. 公案と俳句
KOAN and Haiku (02) .. Dreams 夢
KOAN and Haiku (03) .. Original face and Immortality


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Jibun ni Katsu 自分に勝つ ! to win against yourself


source : s.webry.info

Daruma gives an interview after seeing a blue dragon in China:
「勝つ、勝つ、勝~つ!」


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Daruma Museum

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