Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple

I adored this place. The Daruma dolls there are absolutely gorgeous and a clear sign of Japan's culture. The priest there is really nice and tries his best to even tell English speaking customers about the shrines history. I will definitely go there again.

We have gotten a few kuji/divination lots from this temple now over these few years, and they have never been wrong. My friend bought a pregnancy charm for her sister-in-law but her sister-in-law did not want a child so the charm worked on my friend instead and now she's pregnant. Now when you ask her about Shorinzan she will say - I believe in Daruma.

It’s famous as the place where the Daruma doll was first created. The temple, which was built in 1697, is pretty small and is a bit difficult to get to, but it’s the only place in Japan you can buy a Daruma doll that’s been blessed by a Shorinzan monk…or so they told me. To get here, you can take a short ride on the JR Shin-Etsu Line from Takasaki Station to the Gunma-Yawata Station. It doesn’t run very often (once an hour during off-peak times), so you may want to think about what time you leave the temple in order to avoid a long wait at the station. The walk from Gunma-Yawata to the temple takes about 25-30 minutes and is relatively flat until you have to climb up a hill at the end. There are almost no signs along the way to the temple, so I would recommend using Google Maps to guide you there. The temple is located on multiple levels and to see the building with the daruma dolls, you need to go up to the top level. There are quite a few stairs - if you can’t climb stairs, you may want to use the road that goes around the west side of the temple. From the terrace at the top, you get a beautiful panoramic view of Takasaki and the mountains in the distance. There are two shops at the temple - the one by the entrance is mostly focused on omamori (charms), but the shop at the top level is stocked with reasonably priced daruma-related souvenirs along with the entire range of omamori.

Shorinzan Darumaji is the temple where the Daruma dolls were born. The temple is high on the mountain. Must walk up high stairs. I went in November and it was spring. The leaves are changing color, very beautiful. At the top of the temple there is a place to pray and make a wish. There are Daruma dolls in many sizes, from small to large. There are souvenirs for sale as well. People in this city make a wish from the Daruma doll. They will first use ink to draw one eye on the Daruma doll. When the wish you requested is fulfilled So I will draw another eye for the Daruma doll. Then burn it at the temple at the end of the year.

This temple is where the story of famous Daruma dolls begin. In 1783, when a famine hit the area, a priest at this temple taught local farmers to make the dolls so they would have something to sell during times of economic hardship. Combined with the society’s faith in—and need for—good-luck charms, the popularity of these dolls sueged all over Japan.