The dolls Daruma are wooden figures without arms or legs and represent Bodhidharma (Daruma in Japanese), the founder and first patriarch of Zen Buddhism. Legend has it that Master Daruma lost his arms and legs after spending so many years hiding in a cave meditating and not using them. Typical colors are red, yellow, green, and white. The doll has a face with a mustache and beard, but his eyes are completely white.
Normally the Daruma doll is male, although there is a Daruma doll, known as Ehime Daruma (Princess Daruma). Having an ovoid shape and a low center of gravity, some of them return to their vertical position when pushed to the side. This symbolically represents optimism, persistence, and determination.
The Daruma are used to make wishesWhen a wish is made, one eye is painted on the figure and when the wish is fulfilled the other is painted. It is said that the figure struggled to get his other eye so he tried to fulfill the wish. While the wish is not fulfilled, the Daruma is exhibited at home, usually in an important area such as the Buddhist home altar (Butsudan).
If the wish is fulfilled, the Daruma will be taken to the Buddhist temple where it will be given as an offering. And if it is not fulfilled, then it will be burned in the temple in a purification ceremony that takes place at the end of the year. You can only have one Daruma at a time and many people often write people's names or wishes on the Daruma.