Daruma Doll/ Tosainu (Tosa Dog) Dakko

A handmade paper daruma doll holding a Tosainu dog by Yachiko Daruma, a dollmaker based in Fukuoka, Japan. Tosainu is a special breed of dog known as fighting dogs from Tosa, or the south western island of Shikoku in Japan. Comes packaged in a paper box.

Daruma dolls come from the legend of Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, who meditated for so long that his arms and legs had fallen off. Daruma dolls are characterized by their round paper body painted in red, with fierce warrior-like expressions. As a traditional craft found all over Japan, the dolls vary in shape and design based on the artist and region. They are usually used as gifts of encouragement, or a talisman of good luck, often sold with blank eyes. 

Dimension (approx): (W)2" x (H)1.75" x (D)1.75"

Box: (W)3.8" x (H)2.4" x (D)2.5"

* Please note that each doll is hand-made and varies slightly from the above dimension as well as photo

Yachiko Daruma takes a traditional approach to making daruma dolls with a contemporary twist. To create the hollow paper body, Yachiko uses pages from 1-2 century year-old books for paper mâché. She shapes and paints each doll by hand, often with witty expressions or concept. Her daruma dolls are no longer a serious monk figure to assist in achieving goals. In stead, Yachiko wishes her dolls to have an altar of their own in various environments, as a good luck symbol or a joyful company.