Located in the south-central part of Gunma Prefecture, Takasaki City is Japan’s leading producer of daruma dolls. Those made here are known as “Takasaki Daruma,” distinguished by their beards, which are painted in the shapes of auspicious animals—the crane and the turtle. However, the eyes remain blank. This is because the daruma is only completed when its owner paints in the eyes. The owner fills in the right eye first when making a wish, and upon fulfillment, fills in the other eye.

“For people in this region of Gunma, daruma are like guardian deities. Every household has one, shop owners keep one in their store, and individuals often own their own personal daruma as well,” explains Hirohisa Imai, third-generation head of Imai Daruma Store, founded in 1930. “Daruma support those with wishes. They become a source of strength for people striving toward goals, which is why they’re also cherished as gifts. If it’s a grand wish, it’s fine to display the daruma for decades. For exams or elections, some may fulfill their role within just three or six months. People choose their daruma according to their hopes and goals.”

In the workshop of Imai Daruma Store, rows of daruma skewered on sticks can be seen drying in wheat straw. “Even today, there are about 30 daruma shops just in Toyooka Town, so you’ll see daruma drying in gardens and along roadsides,” says Imai.

The origins of Takasaki Daruma date back over 200 years to the mid-Edo period, during the Tenmei famine. Farmers struggling to survive turned to papier-mâché daruma-making as a side job, selling them at the Nanakusa Festival of Shorinzan Darumaji Temple.

The local climate—famous for its strong, dry winds—also supported the craft. Takasaki Daruma are made from natural paper. The paper is dissolved in water into a slurry, poured into wooden or metal molds, then sun-dried. Proper drying is essential, and with Gunma’s high sunlight and dry air, daruma culture flourished here.

“During the era of rapid economic growth, there were ideas to mass-produce daruma with more efficient materials like plastic or cardboard. But since daruma are vessels for people’s prayers, they must be made with natural materials and methods, or they lose their essence. That’s why we still uphold these traditions today.”

Growing up, Imai remembers waking up to see daruma drying in the garden and returning from school to find bright red daruma filling the workshop. His awareness of the family trade deepened in college, when he visited the daruma market at Shorinzan Darumaji and saw its decline. At age 26, he quit his job to continue the family business.

“With the determination to become a full-fledged artisan within five years, I immersed myself in daruma-making. In Takasaki Daruma, you are considered skilled once you can paint the beard symbolizing cranes and turtles. From the brushstrokes, we can tell which shop a daruma comes from. The beard is our store’s signature.”

Still, sales channels were bleak. After much trial and error, the breakthrough came in 2006 with the launch of “Designer Daruma.” Co-created with designer 2104, a friend from university, this unique daruma combined the form of tradition with the appeal of interior design.

“2104 saw discarded daruma and said, ‘The form of Takasaki Daruma is incredibly refined, and the fact that it’s made of paper is fantastic.’ To share that beauty with more people, we created a daruma stripped to extreme simplicity. But to retain its role as a good-luck charm, we kept the crane-and-turtle beard.”

Initially, in a region deeply rooted in daruma culture, the unconventional design faced resistance. So instead of promoting them locally, Imai launched them at a shop opening in Tokyo’s Daikanyama. About ten years later, they were finally embraced back in Takasaki.

Today, Designer Daruma are sold in over 20 countries across America, Europe, and Asia. Early struggles with overseas sales eased during the COVID-19 pandemic, when online platforms and JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) created opportunities for Zoom negotiations with international buyers.

“To my surprise, people all over the world already recognized the visual of daruma. Then I realized—so do we, in Japan, through picture books and childhood games. Now I’m thinking of spreading daruma’s appeal overseas first, and then re-importing that recognition back to Japan. That way, we don’t have to compete over a small domestic market. Traditional industries thrive when we cooperate together. I want to share daruma culture globally, from Toyooka to the world.”

Balancing tradition and innovation, Imai is driven by a desire to convey the charm of traditional daruma. In recent years, he has expanded to offering painting workshops at his studio and teaching schoolchildren about traditional crafts through daruma.

“In today’s digital and automated age, I want to show the meaning of making daruma in this painstaking way, each one unique. If we carry forward the story of Takasaki Daruma, the artisans’ spirit, and the natural materials and methods, I believe people everywhere will embrace them.”