DORA DOUPLE: Discover popular Souvenirs from Japan
DORA DOUPLE: Discover popular Souvenirs from Japan
im katsuo-ji temple in Osaka, japan, look out of every corner. They squint between the branches of the tree, gather around altars and line the winding paths - bright red splashes of color on the forested slope. These iconic Japanese dolls vary in the size of a few centimeters to several feet and there are thousands of them in About an hour from downtown Osakas in the Minoh National Park.
The importance of the DAMA dolls
According to the temple, Katsuo-Ji became known about 100 years ago as a "Dema Temple", at a time when the place began to sell the dolls-a lucky charm in Japan and a symbol of determination and ambition that has also become one of the most famous and most popular souvenirs in the country.
Katsuo-ji has been associated with success and triumph for over a thousand years; Many emperors and shogune visited the temple to be blessed. Nowadays he attracts locals who get a blessing before exams or important business meetings.
The process of buying purchase
Marco Fasano , an Italian tour guide who lives in Japan and is founder of Tanuki Stories, has also visited Katsuo-ji several times before his Japanese examination to be found.
"There is a certain process that you have to go through when you buy an DASAT," explains Fasano, who researched the temple for the first time while researching places for his tours. "You have to wish for something, write the wish on the doll, paint an eye that DAMA cleans with a little frankincense and then take it with you."
In contrast to other lucky charms or rituals, the DAMA dolls are not simply about expressing a wish and hoping that he will come true. "Every time you look at your, you have to remember this wish and ask yourself: 'What will I do today to achieve this goal?' It is about remembering that you have to work on it," emphasizes Fasano.The second eye is only filled out when the goal is reached-at this point the DAMA doll can be brought back to the temple.
a symbol of perseverance
The round, red dolls with grumpy faces represent the bodhidharma (or "dates" in Japanese) from the fifth century that founded Zen Buddhism. Below believes that the monk has meditated so long that he lost his limbs - this is illustrated by the round shape of the doll, which is complained on the ground, so that it always again if it is overturned.
"It is a symbol of perseverance," says Fasano. "According to Zen Buddhist faith, the answers are already in yourself. It is nothing that suddenly comes as a gift, but something that you have to work conscientiously and find in yourself."
in another legend is told that the monk does not slow down the eyelids during his meditation, which is not to be explained for the broad look at the doll is.
where the Dama dolls are made
DAMAS are full of lucky symbols , from the lucky red color to the dense eye brews and the beard, which Represent cranes and turtles - two animals that are associated with luck and durability in Japan. Katsuo-Ji is not the only "Dema Temple" in Japan. In the nearby Kyoto the hōrin-ji "Dandadera" Tempel built -up hall, which was financed by the faithful of the temple.
Although the dolls can be found everywhere in Japan, The Dama dolls in Takasaki, a city in the Gunma Prefecture in the canto area, made, where the Paper mache craft can be traced back about 200 years ago. The Shorzan therefore explained that he started selling the dolls about 220 years ago Organized "because of this". According to the temple, visitors began to set up dolls in the temple area about 100 years ago.
Special Dama offers at Katsuo-Ji
KATSUO-JI offers visitors two different types of Dimas: the Kachi-Daruma, the classic doll known as "the winning for dating", which is used to determine a specific goal; Or the Dima-Mikuji, which is known as "the fortune telling daruma" and can only be found in the Katsuo-ji.
Instead of painting eyes on the fortune telling, visitors ask a question before selecting a doll. Similar to a lucky biscuit, each Dating-Mijuki contains a tiny scroll with unique advice that should serve to show the way to your goal.
"Many visitors take photos and videos of the DAMA-Mikuji, which were freely placed by believers in the temple grounds, as well as the Kachi-Darumas, which are set up on the sacrificial shelves," says Yusuke Yamada, a spokesman for the Katsuo-Ji Tempels, and adds that the temple is a "unique experience" for many visitors.
a hidden jewel in Osaka
in 2024 Japan recorded a record of 36.8 million overseas visitors, an increase of 15% compared to the values before pandemic. And although osaka die second most visited visited Prefecture is rarely on the program for overnight stays: the temple attracts between 800,000 and 1 million visitors annually, of which around 70–80% come from abroad, says Yamada. (For comparison: the Asakusa Senso-Ji temple in Tokyo pulls annually believed an.)
"Japanese visitors tend to come because of the autumn leaves and during the new year, while foreign visitors come across all year round," adds Yamada. Fasano, who has lived in Osaka since 2023, believes that the city is very underestimated. "People often think that there is nothing to do in Osaka. It is a city that deserves much more attention," he says, adding that tourists often do not plan enough time to visit places like Katsuo-ji, which can take half a day.
To attract more visitors, Katsuo-Ji found a creative way to encourage tourists to deal with the Dama dolls. In May last year, the temple introduced a "stamp rally": Visitors visit six check-in points in the temple area in a certain order and collect stamps to create a single picture.
The "stamp rally" reflects, similar to the DAINAS, to make the process of the target activity: to make a conscious plan and to find progress step by step, says Fasano. He hopes that the temple will win more recognition and inspire more visitors to explore the region.
"If you want to buy the DAMA, there is a stronger feeling not to get it in a random shop, but in the Katsuo-ji," he adds.