Kawaii Daruma Held by Kawaii Kyoto Doll 京人形とちっちゃいものクラブ

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

What do you think this is?

Kawaii Japanese doll

It's a Daruma doll. A Daruma doll is a hollow, round, Japanese traditional doll modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen tradition of Buddhism. The eyes of Daruma are generally blank when sold so that the recipient of the doll fills in one eye upon setting a goal, then the other upon fulfilling it. Japanese politicians often get such dolls during the election time. However, this doll is not such a usual Daruma doll. It is held by a Kyoto doll like in the photo below!

Kyoto doll holding Daruma dolls

Kawaii Kyoto doll trio 

Kyoto doll holding chimaki amulet

Kyoto doll holding fortune cat

I am not usually interested in any type of dolls, but finding them at Kogatanaya, a traditional doll store in Kyoto, I just could not leave the shop without taking one of them home, and that has happened three times so far...

Of the three, the left one holds a Daruma doll in each hand, while the center one chimaki or an evil-warding charm made of bamboo leaves and the right one holding a "fortune cat (maneki neko)." A Daruma doll, a chimaki, and a fortune cat are all amulets which are said to bring good luck and loved by Japanese people.

They were so tiny and cute, aren't they?! The Kyoto doll store has hundreds of such and a little bigger kawaii Japanese dolls.

By the way, chimaki, which is held by the doll in the center, is an amulet and is not edible, but Japan has edible chimaki, too, or zongzi. Zongzi is a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. It is cooked by steaming or boiling and also known as a rice dumpling or sticky rice dumpling. For more, see this Wikipedia page!

Kogatanaya (which has no English website) is in front of Meijiya Store Kyoto Sanjo across the street and very close to Starbucks Kyoto Sanjo.

私の京人形コレクションです。人形にはほとんど興味ないのですが、京都の小刀屋忠兵衛で見つけてあまりの可愛さについ手が伸びて｡｡｡ 以来、京都に行くたびに一つずつ買っています。

人形そのものもかわいいのですが、ダルマと粽と招き猫が可愛いでしょ！おじゃる丸のちっちゃいものクラブを思い出しました。

小刀屋忠兵衛は、京都三条のスタバのすぐ近く、明治屋京都三条店の向かいです。