How to Make a Wish with a Daruma — The Complete Guide to Eye-Painting Tradition

Apr 25, 2026 · Takaaki Watanabe

How to Make a Wish with a Daruma — The Complete Guide

So you have a daruma. Or you're thinking about getting one. Or you've received one as a gift and you're not entirely sure what to do with those empty white eyes staring back at you.

Welcome. As a 14th-generation daruma maker from Shirakawa, Fukushima, let me walk you through one of Japan's most beloved personal rituals — the way of the daruma wish.

This guide covers everything: which eye first, when to fill in the second, what to do if your wish doesn't come true, and the deeper philosophy behind this simple-looking practice.

The Basic Ritual (in 30 Seconds)

If you just want the short version:

1. Make a wish or set a goal. 2. Fill in the right eye (from the daruma's perspective — the one on your left as you look at it). 3. Display the daruma somewhere visible. 4. When your wish comes true, fill in the left eye. 5. At year's end, return the daruma to a shrine for a ceremonial burning.

That's it. That's the core tradition.

But there's a lot more richness to explore.

Step 1: Choose Your Daruma

Before the ritual begins, choosing the right daruma matters. In Shirakawa tradition, color carries meaning:

| Color | Meaning | Best for | |---|---|---| | 🔴 Red | Protection, good fortune (classic) | General wishes, new year | | ⚪ White | Purity, new beginnings | New projects, marriage | | 🟡 Gold/Yellow | Wealth, prosperity | Business, money goals | | 🟢 Green | Health, growth | Recovery, wellness | | 🔵 Blue | Knowledge, calm | Studies, exams | | 🩷 Pink | Love, relationships | Romance, marriage | | ⚫ Black | Protection, warding off evil | Safety, big transitions | | 🟣 Purple | Wisdom, spirituality | Personal growth |

Don't overthink this. The traditional red daruma is always a correct choice. But if your wish strongly resonates with a specific color, go with it.

Step 2: The First Eye — Opening the Wish

Here is where many people get confused. Which eye first?

The answer: the right eye (the one on your left as you look at the daruma — but the daruma's right eye from its own perspective).

Why? In Buddhism, the right side is associated with:

Action and intention
Starting energy
The "active principle" (yang)

To paint the right eye is to say: "I am beginning. I am committing. I am putting energy into this."

How to paint the eye:

Use a black brush and Japanese ink (sumi) if you have them
If not, a black permanent marker works perfectly fine
The eye should be a solid black circle — not a dot, not a ring, but a full filled circle about the size of a fingernail
Fill the pre-drawn eye area completely

What to think while painting:

This is the moment. Pause. Be present.

State your wish clearly in your mind. Say it out loud if you'd like. Visualize what it looks like when the wish is fulfilled.

Then — with intention — paint.

Some people write their wish on a small piece of paper and place it at the daruma's base, or inside a hollow daruma. Others simply hold the wish in their heart.

There is no wrong way. The ritual creates the space; your intention fills it.

Step 3: Displaying Your Daruma

Place your daruma somewhere you'll see it every day. Traditional spots include:

The family shrine (kamidana) — the most sacred display place
The entryway — where you see it when coming and going
Your desk — for work or study-related wishes
The living room — for family wishes
Your kitchen — historically for health and prosperity wishes

Do not hide it in a drawer. The daruma is a physical reminder — its power comes from being seen.

Step 4: The Period of Striving

Here is what most guides don't tell you.

The daruma does not do the work. You do.

Between painting the first eye and painting the second, something important must happen: you must act.

The daruma is a commitment device, not a magical object. When you see it, you are reminded of your wish. That reminder prompts action. The action — over time — is what brings the wish to reality.

A daruma pointing at your goal, seen every morning as you make coffee, is objectively more effective at goal achievement than a goal you set once on New Year's Eve and forgot by February.

This is why the ritual works: not because of supernatural power, but because of the psychology of visible, daily commitment.

Step 5: The Second Eye — Fulfilling the Wish

When your wish comes true — you passed the exam, you landed the job, you closed the deal, your relative recovered, you finished the project — it is time to paint the left eye.

This is a moment of gratitude.

Pause, as you did with the first eye.
Thank the daruma. (This isn't superstition — it's a way of thanking yourself for following through.)
Paint the left eye with the same solid black circle.

Both eyes are now open. The wish is complete. The daruma has done its work.

Step 6: Returning the Daruma

At year's end (traditionally on the days around New Year, January 1–15), take your daruma to a shrine or temple.

Most Shinto shrines in Japan hold a ceremony called Dondo-yaki (どんど焼き) or Hi-matsuri (火祭り) — a ceremonial burning of old amulets and daruma. You offer a small donation (often 300–500 yen), place your daruma in the fire with gratitude, and watch the smoke rise.

Why burn it? Because in Japanese spiritual tradition, amulets absorb energy and intention. Over a year, they accumulate your focus and hopes. Burning returns that energy to the spiritual realm with gratitude, cleanly — rather than letting it linger in your home.

If you live outside Japan:

You don't have to send it back to Japan. Acceptable alternatives:

Keep it on display as a memento of accomplishment
Donate it to a Buddhist or Shinto temple near you
Respectfully return it to the earth (bury or compost the wooden/paper form)
If you wish, we can arrange for return-to-shrine services — contact us

Do not throw it in household trash. The tradition asks for intention even in letting go.

What If the Wish Didn't Come True?

This is important. Sometimes wishes don't come true — at least not in the way you imagined.

Traditional view: Paint the second eye anyway, on the one-year anniversary, and take the daruma to be burned. This represents accepting the journey, not the outcome.

My view as a 14th-generation maker: Reflect honestly.

Did I act toward the wish? If not, the daruma held a mirror up to me.
Did I set the right wish? Sometimes we learn what we actually want through pursuing what we thought we wanted.
Is it still a live wish? If yes, get a new daruma. If no, release it.

The daruma's deepest teaching is 七転び八起き (nana korobi ya oki) — "Fall seven times, stand up eight."

An unfulfilled wish is not a failure. It is a standing up.

Common Questions

Can I make multiple wishes on one daruma?

Traditionally, one daruma, one wish. Focus matters. But if wishes are related (e.g., "good health for my entire family"), that's fine.

Can my whole family share one daruma?

Yes — a family daruma with a shared family wish is a lovely tradition. Everyone paints a stroke of the eye together.

What if I don't believe in the spiritual side?

That's completely fine. The daruma works as a commitment device and daily reminder regardless of belief. Millions of Japanese people use daruma without strong religious belief — it is, at minimum, applied psychology in beautiful form.

When is the best time to start?

New Year is traditional. Birthdays, major life transitions, or the first day of a project are all meaningful. Or simply: today. The best day is the day you're ready to commit.

Can I give someone a daruma as a gift?

Yes, enthusiastically. A daruma received as a gift carries extra meaning — it means someone cares enough to hope for you. The recipient paints the eyes themselves.

A Final Thought

In our workshop in Shirakawa, we paint hundreds of darumas every week. Each one is a small vessel, waiting to carry someone's hope.

When you bring one home and paint that first eye, you're joining a tradition that's over 300 years old in our town, and older still in Japan as a whole. You're saying to yourself: "This matters. I commit. I will act."

And then — the work begins.

That's the way of the daruma.

Find your daruma →

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Questions about daruma tradition, color symbolism, or gift-giving? Comment below or contact us. We're here to help you find the right daruma for your wish.

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