Overview

• Rev Seishi Hirose, chief priest of Shorinzan Daruma-ji in Takasaki, presented the doll to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his two-day visit for the 15th India–Japan Annual Summit.
• The Ministry of External Affairs said the gesture reaffirms close civilisational and spiritual ties between the two countries.
• The Daruma is a traditional talisman of perseverance and good luck used for goal-setting, with one eye painted when a goal is made and the other when it is achieved.
• The figure is modeled on Bodhidharma, an Indian monk from Kancheepuram revered in Japan as Daruma Daishi, and the Shorinzan temple is widely regarded as the center of the doll’s tradition and festivals.
• Modi thanked Rev Hirose publicly, and his Tokyo schedule includes meetings with former prime ministers and business leaders alongside broader discussions on trade and technology.