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Okiagari-koboshi or Okiagari-kobōshi (起き上がり小法師? getting-up little priest) is a Japanese traditional doll. Aizuwakamatsu (会津若松市 -shi is a city located in the Aizu region of Fukushima, Japan. Traditional dolls in Japan are known by the name, ningyō which means human figure in Japanese The toy is made from papier-mâché and is designed so that its weight causes it to return to an upright position if it is knocked over. Papier-mâché ( French for 'chewed-up paper' because of its appearance sometimes called paper-mâché, is a construction material that consists of pieces of [1] Okiagari-koboshi is considered a good-luck charm and a symbol of perseverance and resilience. An amulet ( the Elder|Pliny]] meaning "an object that protects a person from trouble" a close cousin of the talisman (from Arabic [2]
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History
The makers of the earliest okiagari-koboshi likely modeled them after a Chinese toy called Budaoweng (不倒翁; not-falling-down old man) that is similarly weighted. Okiagari-koboshi has long been popular among Japanese children. It is mentioned in a 14th-century play called Manju-Kui,[3] and folklorist Lafcadio Hearn recorded a lullaby from Matsue in Izumo Province in the early 20th century that lists the doll as a gift for a young child:
- Nenneko, nenneko nenneko ya!
- Kono ko nashite naku-yara?
- O-chichi ga taranuka? — o-mama ga taranuka?
- Ima ni ototsan no ōtoto no o-kaeri ni
- Ame ya, o-kwashi ya, hii-hii ya,
- Gara-gara, nagureba fuito tatsu
- Okiagarikoboshi! —
- Neneko, neneko, nenneko ya!
Translated, it says:
- Sleep, sleep, sleep, little one!
- Why does the child continue to cry?
- Is the honorable milk deficient? — is the honorable rice deficient?
- Presently when father returns from the great Lord's palace,
- Ame will be given to you, and also cake, and a hii-hii likewise,
- And a rattle as well, and an okiagarikoboshi
- That will stand up immediately after being thrown down. Japanese folklore is the Folklore of Japan. It is heavily influenced by both Shinto and Buddhism, the two primary religions in the country Patrick Lafcadio Hearn ( June 27, 1850 - September 26, 1904) also known as after gaining Japanese citizenship was an author best known A lullaby is a soothing Song, usually sung to Children before they go to sleep is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. Izumo (Japanese 出雲国 Izumo-no-kuni) was an old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane prefecture in [4]
Okiagari-koboshi are popular in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture. is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines --> is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of There, the dolls are sold in red and blue varieties. [5] People buy the dolls during the Tokaichi (Tenth-day Market) held each 10 January. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. [6] Shoppers typically throw several okiagari-koboshi down at the same time; those that stand back up are supposedly the lucky ones. Tradition mandates the purchase of one okiagari-koboshi for each member of the family plus one extra in the hope that the family will grow over the coming year. [5]
Daruma dolls
One kind of Daruma doll works on the same principle as okiagari-koboshi and is sometimes referred to by that name; whenever it is thrown down, it rights itself. [7] This depiction of the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma likely arose in connection with a legend that says that he once meditated for nine years, which caused his legs to either atrophy or fall off. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Biography Contemporary accounts There are two known extant accounts written by contemporaries of Bodhidharma [8] A 17th-century children's song shows that the okiagari-koboshi Daruma dolls of the time were almost identical to their modern equivalents:
- Hi ni! fu ni!
- Fundan Daruma ga
- Akai zukin kaburi sunmaita!
- Once! twice!
- Ever the red-hooded Daruma
- Heedlessly sits up again![9]
See also
Notes
- ^ Hearn 289. Weebles is a trademark for several lines of children's Toys originating in Hasbro 's Playskool division on July 23, 1971.
- ^ McFarland 169.
- ^ Hearn 288.
- ^ Hearn 217–8.
- ^ a b Lee.
- ^ "Tokaichi".
- ^ Hearn 286, 288.
- ^ Hearn, 286 and 288 says they fell off, but McFarland, 169, says they atrophied.
- ^ Hearn 288–9.
References
- Hearn, Lafcadio (1901). A Japanese Miscellany. Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown, and Company.
- Lee, Sherwood. "Historical asset: Kitakata". Japan National Tourist Organization. Accessed 20 January 2007. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- McFarland, H. Neill (1986). "Feminine Motifs in Bodhidharma Symbology in Japan". Asian Folklore Studies, Vol. 45, No. 2.
- Tokaichi (Tenth Day Market)". Aizu Wakamatsu City. Accessed 20 January 2007. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
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