Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Received a Daruma Doll

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a traditional Daruma doll from the Chief Priest of the Shorinzan Daruma-Ji temple, Rev Seishi Hirose, during a two-day visit to Japan. The gift was intended to reaffirm the strong cultural and spiritual ties between the two nations.

Significance of the gift

• Cultural symbol: The Daruma doll is an iconic Japanese cultural symbol representing perseverance, resilience, and good luck.
• Indian roots: The doll is modeled after Bodhidharma, a 5th-century Indian monk from Kanchipuram who is regarded as the founder of Zen Buddhism in Japan.
• “Fall seven times, get up eight”: Its rounded shape and weighted base cause it to always return to an upright position. This embodies the Japanese proverb Nanakorobi yaoki (“fall seven times, get up eight”), symbolizing resilience.
• Goal setting: In Japanese tradition, one eye is filled in when a person sets a goal or makes a wish, and the second eye is filled in only after the goal is achieved.

Details of the visit

• Purpose: PM Modi’s visit was intended to strengthen the civilizational and cultural bonds between India and Japan.
• Other meetings: While in Tokyo, the Prime Minister also met with former Japanese Prime Ministers Yoshihide Suga and Fumio Kishida.
• Economic forum: He addressed the India-Japan Economic Forum, where he called for deeper collaboration in technology, green energy, and other sectors.
• Other gifts: During his trip, PM Modi also exchanged gifts with his Japanese counterpart. He gave ramen bowls and chopsticks to the Japanese Prime Minister and a Pashmina shawl to his wife.