Title:

だるまともみ独楽 (daruma to momi goma)
“daruma and hand-rubbing top”

This is a pair of two tops, one representing a daruma and the other a hand-rubbing top. A daruma is a traditional Japanese doll whose figure is based on the Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen sect of Buddhism. Daruma are often depicted in this roundish shape because of a legend that the Bodhidharma stared at a wall in intense meditation for nine years, until both his arms and legs fell off. Daruma are traditionally depicted in red, but can appear in various colors with different meanings. They are considered good luck figures. Accompanying the daruma figure in this photo is a momigoma, or a “hand-rubbing top,” which is spun by rubbing the handle of the top quickly between your palms.

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Mrs. Hiroi: It’s a daruma and–

Hiroi Michiaki: Yeah, this is a daruma and–

Mrs. Hiroi: A hand-rubbing top. [A top you spin by rubbing it between your palms instead of using a string.]

Hiroi: Yeah, it’s a top, and it’s not that it has any special story to it, but it’s a daruma, and a top.