PHOTO ESSAY: Daruma dolls, popular New Year's charms

Daruma dolls are a traditional charm popular during the start of the new year in Japan. Most come from workshops in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, where the dolls trace their origin back to the mid-18th century. (Louis Templado)Shorinzan Darumaji temple in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, is generally regarded as the birthplace of the daruma doll. Its daruma market on Jan. 6 and 7 draws as many as 400,000 visitors, many ready to purchase a new doll for the new year. (Louis Templado)The daruma dolls of Takasaki are made by local workshops such as Fukuya, which has been in operation for five generations. The workshops are open throughout the year, as the city produces 80 percent of all daruma dolls in Japan. (Louis Templado)The good fortunes of a daruma doll are supposedly valid for a year. Visitors to Shorinzan Darumaji temple return their old dolls for disposal before ascending the steps to offer a prayer and buy a new doll. (Louis Templado)Visitors to Shorinzan Darumaji temple check out the daruma dolls on display. Most makers offer 18 sizes of the doll, ranging in size from 9 cm to 75 cm. The size, however, does not have a proven correlation to how much fortune the doll brings its buyer. (Louis Templado)Daruma dolls are a deep-seated element of Takasaki local culture. Communities erect their own pyres for burning old dolls on Jan. 13, exactly a week after the city's famed doll festival. (Louis Templado)It is easy to recognize a Takasaki daruma doll: the eyebrows are drawn to resemble a "tsuru" Japanese crane and the mutton chops to resemble a turtle--both considered good-luck augurs. (Louis Templado)