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Choosing a Daruma Doll: Size, Gifts and Which Eye to Paint First

A red body, a bearded face and two blank eyes: a daruma makes a souvenir you can give a purpose to after the trip. Compare the faces first, then picture where yours will sit at home.

A red daruma doll with blank eyes and a gold character for good fortune

Choose a place for it before choosing a size

A desk calls for a different doll from a large display shelf. Takasaki’s makers explain that their range of sizes partly reflects the space people have for displaying them. Ask for height and width in centimetres, rather than assuming a bigger doll is the better choice.

At the shop, ask whether a box is included and check the packed size against the room left in your bag. Protect the rounded body from being crushed. Compare the actual item’s origin, size, finish and price; there is no single nationwide price for the doll in a photograph.

Which eye do you paint first?

For Takasaki daruma, the makers’ cooperative recommends the doll’s left eye—on your right when you face it. Set a wish or goal, fill in one eye, then add the other when it comes true. The cooperative also explains that the order is not an absolute rule. If you buy one from a particular temple or maker, take their instructions home with it.

For a gift, leave the recipient the pleasure of choosing the goal before painting an eye. A small note explaining “start on your right as you look at the doll” helps make sense of the blank face. If a Japanese wish is painted on the body, ask the seller what it says so you can explain why you chose it.

Looking specifically for a Takasaki daruma

Takasaki is a major centre of daruma making. Cranes in the eyebrows and turtles in the moustache are symbols of longevity worth looking for as you compare faces. To buy from a local maker, begin with the cooperative’s shop list. Before travelling to a workshop, ask about opening and the collection date for any personalised order.

Daruma-shaped objects come in different materials, including papier-mâché and ceramics. Decide whether you want a Takasaki papier-mâché doll or another small object using the design. For a different regional take on an upright doll, look at Kanazawa’s Kaga Hachiman okiagari.

After the journey

Some people return a wish-making daruma to a temple or shrine at a milestone. Ask the receiving temple or shrine about its arrangements if you want to do this. If yours is coming home to stay, give it a shelf or desk where you see it each day. The collection in the photograph shows how much the faces and sizes vary; your own becomes a small reminder of the goal you chose.

A collection of red daruma dolls with different faces and sizes

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Sources and photography

Information checked: November 7, 2026.