The Shirakawa Daruma Market, a traditional event in Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture, was held and attracted many people.
Shirakawa Daruma Market is said to have its origins in the Edo period when the lord of Shirakawa, Sadanobu Matsudaira, prayed for the prosperity of his castle town by having artists make daruma dolls and selling them, and it has become a traditional event that heralds the arrival of spring.
On the 11th, there were approximately 500 stalls, including food and miscellaneous goods stores, lined up in front of JR Shirakawa Station, which was crowded with people from the morning.
Shirakawa Daruma dolls are characterized by the depiction of lucky charms, such as the eyebrows in the shape of a crane and the mustache in the shape of a turtle.
At the venue, enthusiastic voices echoed, ``How about Shirakawa Daruma dolls, which are good luck charms?'' As visitors compared the sizes one by one, they placed their favorite ones with wishes for prosperous business and good health. I was looking to buy a Daruma doll.
A third-year junior high school girl who is about to take an entrance exam said, ``She came to Daruma Market for the first time because she heard that Daruma dolls were good luck charms, and she bought a Daruma doll in hopes of passing the exam.''
In addition, a man in his 60s said, ``I prayed that my family would be healthy and that Ishikawa Prefecture would recover as soon as possible since there was an earthquake this year.''