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large vintage daruma figure crafted from black nachiguro slate - japanese go game stone material

large vintage daruma figure crafted from black nachiguro slate - japanese go game stone material

Regular price ¥30,912 JPY
Regular price Sale price ¥30,912 JPY
Sale Sold out
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Love Japanese Style Like We Do

A large vintage daruma statue crafted from Nachiguro slate, the same precious material used for Japanese Go game stones. A perfect blend of tradition and style for any collector or avid admirer of Japanese craftsmanship, seeking a unique decor accent.

This very large and heavy piece, is shaped in the form of the okiagari daruma; a legless, tumbling talisman doll, that  ‘falls seven times and rises eight times,’ (nana korobi ya oki). This okiagari (falling and rising) form of Daruma comes from the belief that Bodhidharma, after sitting in meditation for nine years in a cave came to lose his legs.

The vintage daruma has a wonderful, smooth, and solid feel.  It’s mono-tone simplicity with minimal embellishments enables the  beautiful, rich glossiness of the black Naghiguro slate to become the focal point of the ornament. Nowadays, Daruma is seen as god of perseverance, giving us the determination to achieve our goals. And this daruma has the expression of that fierce determination on his face.

The daruma figure is in good vintage condition with no cracks or chips. The surface shine has a little dulling and slight pitting, a result of the mold process used to make these ornaments. The Nachiguro seal still remains on the piece.

A lovely item to bring good luck into your home. Being quite heavy, Daruma also doubles as  a great paper weight.

- measures around 19 cm (7.4”) tall x 14 cm (5.5”) across x 15 cm (5.9”) deep.
- weighs 4,580 gm (10.1lbs).

(listing for black slate daruma only)

SHIPPING INFORMATION
- please our shipping policy.
- we use recycle packaging wherever possible and wrap for safety, rather than  appearance!

ABOUT OUR VINTAGE, ANTIQUE AND OTHER ITEMS
We list pieces we feel are worthy of display. There may be scratches, dents, fading and signs of wear and tear. We try to explain the condition of each item exactly, but may miss something.

Information regarding the item and it’s age is obtained from dealers and our personal research. We do our best to give you the correct information but please be aware that we cannot guarantee this information.

Please message us prior to purchase with any questions you may have about our products.

NACHIGURO STONE
Known since the Heian period, Nachiguro Black Stone emits a stunning sheen when polished.
 A cherished, traditional craft of Kishu, it is still preserved by artisans today.

The only place in Japan where this black stone can be quarried is Kamikawa-cho, located deep in the mountains of Kumano City. In the mid-Meiji period, the quarrying of Nachiguro Black Stone began to flourish and peaked around Showa 50 (1975) when there were 26 manufacturing and sales offices in Kamikawa-cho.
 However, the number has dwindled, and only a few remain to support this important industry that has existed for such a long time.

Nachiguro Black Stone has an elegant jet-black glossy appearance with a smooth tactile feel. It is a versatile material used not only for black Go games pieces, but also for items such as ink stones for calligraphy, suiseki viewing stones, hanging scroll weights and ornaments. 

The initial step in the production process involves cutting the raw stones received from the quarry to the rough size and shape required for each product.
 To create Go stone pieces, stone boards are mechanically drilled to obtain cylindrical discs with a diameter of approximately 2.5 cm. These discs are then sorted based on their thickness and polished.

For crafting an inkstone, a specially-designed carving chisel with a blade made of a unique alloy for stone carving is used requiring great strength to carve the stone. When the chisel is used to scrape the stone instead of carving it, followed by careful polishing with sandpaper, the stone’s blackness is immediately enhanced due to the nature of the stone grain.
 

Resin is blended with powdered Nachiguro black stone to produce molds of diverse forms known as ‘New Nachiguro.’ This method enables the production of products with intricate shapes that may prove challenging to carve from rough stones, while at the same time preserving the brilliance and luster of the stone.

Each stone is treated differently, based on its unique characteristics, and it is the skillful craftsmanship that contributes to the stunning brilliance of Nachiguro Black Stone.

DARUMA IN JAPAN
The Daruma of present day Japan actually finds it’s origins in an Indian  Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma was the founding patriarch of the Chan/Zen school and he eventually became revered as an equal to the Buddha himself.

He went to China, to convert the Chinese, at the beginning of the sixth century and  settled in Song Shan. Here it is said he practiced meditation for nine years facing a wall. Bodhidharma’s lofty teaching won him a few disciples, but also some powerful enemies, and he was eventually poisoned by two rivals. Soon after his death a Chinese emissary claimed to have met him. When Bodhidharma’s tomb was opened, it was found empty. He  was deemed  a Daoist Immortal.

According to a later Japanese tradition, Bodhidharma never returned to India but traveled on to Japan, where he was associated with the Tendai school and Shotoku Taishi (517-77). From the Tenadai  school and the  ‘one mind precepts’ of Bodhidharma (Daruma isshinkai)  the first Zen school emerged, called the ‘Daruma school.’ There is a Daruma Temple at the foot of Mt. Kataoka; a monastery associated with Shotoku Taishi.

By the mid Edo era, the Indian patriarch of Chan/Zen had come a long way. He was an extremely popular deity and was now seen as a protector of children and bringer of good luck.

He was represented as a legless, tumbling talisman doll, that  ‘falls seven times and rises eight times,’(nana korobi ya oki). This okiagari (falling and rising) form of Daruma comes from the belief that Bodhidharma, after sitting in meditation for nine years in a cave came to lose his legs.

This tumbling  Daruma  also lent itself to sexual symbolism, and until the Meiji period, phallic forms of Daruma in stone or paper mache were sold. Stone deity statues were often placed  in the country at crossroads and they were associated with sexuality and fertility. These deity stones were called dosojin.

The name ‘Daruma’ was also a nickname for prostitutes in the Edo Era. Like the doll, these specialists of tumble could raise the energy of their customers! In ukiyoe Daruma was often presented  in comical fashion in the company of a prostitute, sometimes even as a transvestite or as a woman. He was also a  part of a couple called, ‘Mr. and Mrs. Daruma.’ The chubby Okame, (smiling  woman who brings good luck to all) was often seen as his partner.

Daruma were initially good-luck objects (engimono) placed on the home  altar (kamidana)  to bring good harvests and prosperity to their owners. The okiagari Daruma soon became a popular symbol of perseverance, new beginnings and the attaining of one’s goal.

Daruma was also believed to help overcome illness rapidly. During  the smallpox epidemic in the Edo period, Daruma had become a protector against smallpox. He was perceived as a god of smallpox (hosogami) but his role was to control the smallpox demons so they would not harm children.  (hosogami were seen as the cause of epidemic diseases and eventually turned into protectors against these same diseases).

The Daruma doll was offered with other auspicious toys, like dogs to sick children. The color, symbolizing measles was important. The altar to the smallpox god was decorated with red paper strips, a daruma doll, and an owl and the sick child had to wear a red hood, just like Bodhidharma in his red robes with a red hood.

So Daruma has been represented in a variety of forms with much symbolism; the Buddhist monk, Bodhidharma, likened to the Buddha himself and responsible for starting Zen Buddhism, a crossroad deity associated with sexuality and fertility, a god of epidemics who ultimately protected children against disease, a god of good fortune, bringing good harvests and prosperity, and a god of perseverance, giving one the determination to achieve goals.

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