During The Trip In Tokyo, The Japanese Temple Rewards the Indian PM With A Fashionable Lucky Token

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On August 29, 2025, the Shorinzan Daruma-Ji Temple’s Chief Priest Seishi Hirose presented a Daruma doll to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is yet another episode of cultural intermingling between the two nations. It was the closing ceremony of Modi's two-day visit to Japan. Daruma dolls are traditional red dolls that symbolize perseverance and good luck in both cultures' pristine cultural heritage from the civilizational legacy of the Indian monk Bodhidharma.

Daruma Dolls: Symbols of Persistence and Resilience

The Daruma Doll represents Zen persistence and is based upon Bodhidharma (Daruma in Japan); the origins of the Daruma story originate from the story that Bodhidharma cut his limbs because he meditated for 9 years without stopping or being interrupted.  The story demonstrates that Odhidharma meditatively lost his limbs; he is unembodied; this is why it comes without arms or legs and is round. 

Take the Daruma doll, for instance.  Due to its weighted bottom, when someone tries to push it down, it resists and automatically stands upright. It is a physical embodiment of a Japanese proverb that states, Nanakorobi yaoki, meaning, to fall seven times to stand up eight*. Unlike when it is turned into a puppet, a Daruma doll has an authentic and traditional origin. The most common color is red because it means luck and protection. There are symbols of cranes and oriental turtles for longevity.

Cultural Rituals and Their Importance Worldwide

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In Japan, Daruma dolls are used in goal-setting rituals. Owners paint one eye when they set a goal and then paint the second eye when they fulfill that goal, essentially making the doll a "living marker of commitment." Each year, millions of participants engage in Daruma Kuyo ceremonies, returning the dolls to local temples for ritual burning to express thanks and to make a new resolveIt is good to note that, in addition to personal use, these dolls take much of their form from Japanese pop culture, from great festivals like Takasaki’s Daruma-ichi (which draws around 400,000 visitors) to recent Pokémon character designs.

Diplomatic Importance and Future Impact

The gift bestowed upon the Prime Minister of India sparks a laudable expression of Japan’s reverence for India’s spiritual heritage, a characteristic of its bilateral relationship with India, and it also fits with precedent. Prime Minister Modi, on this visit, discussed matters related to technology, trade, and the semiconductor industries with Japan’s former Prime Ministers Fumio Kishida and Yoshihide Suga. The meeting shared with the former prime ministers was to discuss the matters of COVID-19 and the World Daruma Challenge 2025 of Japan, which is meant to be a global unity initiative and which coincides with the Osaka-Kansai Expo.

Daruma Doll: An Icon of Perseverance and the Strengthening of India-Japan Relations

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The Daruma doll has been traditionally crafted in Takasaki since the 17th century and serves as a distinct symbol of cultural exchange and determination. This gift to PM Modi signifies a respect for the past and a commitment to the future of the India-Japan partnership. Their resilience as one is illustrated in their intertwining of strategies for facing global challenges from both within and without due to the current gift.