This temple was built in 1697 by the Obaku school of Zen Buddhism and is where the Japanese daruma dolls started. After attending the Daruma Festival last month, I wanted to visit this place in Gunma Prefecture.
It is relatively close to Takasaki, but there are few trains - maybe only one or two an hour, so I had to plan my time well. The temple is about a 15 minute walk from Gunma Yawata Station. There is no entry fee to visit this temple, but there are a lot of stairs.
It was a nice day and there were few people visiting the day I was there. I'm glad I was able to visit.
I recently attended one of the three big Daruma Festivals at Myoho-ji Temple, where I bought this small Daruma doll. It comes with vacant eyes.
The dolls are said to depitct the 5th or 6th century CE Buddhist monk, Bodhidharma, who was known for his practice of wall-gazing. The legend is that after facing a wall without moving for nine years, his arms and legs fell off. In Japan the Daruma doll is seen as a symbol of perseverance and good luck. When receiving the doll, a goal is set and the left eye is filled in. When the goal is met, the other eye is filled in. Seeing the doll reminds me to persevere in order to meet my goal.
My one year goal is a health/fitness type goal. I want to walk 500 minutes a week. I chose a weekly rather than a daily goal so if I walk less than enough on one day, I can make up for it before the week is over. At the 100 yen store, I bought a little notebook with squares printed on the pages to record my progress.
