Craftsman Handmakes Traditional Koshu Daruma Figures in Kofu, Aims to Make 800 to Sell

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:41 JST, December 24, 2025

A veteran craftsman in Kofu adds the final touches to a round figure of Koshu Daruma, a Daruma doll that is believed to have a 400-year history and is designed to resemble the 16-century warlord Takeda Shingen.

Koshu is the old name of the warlord’s birthplace of Yamanashi Prefecture, and Daruma is the popularized image of the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma.

Fujio Onuma, 73, started crafting the doll in September, and aims to make 800 of them. When completed, he is planning to sell them at various locations including the Tokaichi open-air market in Minami-Alps in the prefecture in February.