Miniature Wooden Hime Daruma (Princess Daruma)

A tiny hand-painted wooden daruma, just bigger than a fingertip, in a matte vermilion-red robe. A white hood frames a gentle painted woman's face with black hair, delicate eyebrows, almond eyes and a tiny red mouth, and a calligraphic motif is brushed in dark green and black on the front. The base carries an old paper label marked "S 48". That could be a Shōwa-era date (Shōwa 48 is 1973), or simply a stock number. With its feminine face, it is most likely a hime daruma (princess daruma). It's in good vintage condition with light wear.

Daruma dolls represent Bodhidharma, the monk said to have brought Zen Buddhism to China, and they are cherished in Japan as good-luck charms for perseverance. Hime daruma are a lucky folk toy from Dōgo in Matsuyama, Ehime, home of the famous Dōgo Onsen hot spring. Legend links them to Empress Jingū, who is said to have stayed at Dōgo Onsen, and to the baby she later bore, the future Emperor Ōjin, wrapped in crimson silk floss. That's why the princess daruma wears red.