Teru teru bōzu

Teru teru bōzu dolls

A teru teru bōzu (Japanese: てるてる坊主 or 照る照る坊主, literally "shine shine monk") is a small traditional handmade doll made of white paper or cloth that Japanese farmers began hanging outside of their window by a string. This talisman is supposed to have magical powers to bring good weather and to stop or prevent a rainy day. Teru is a Japanese verb which describes sunshine, and a bōzu is a Buddhist monk (compare the word bonze), or in modern slang, "bald-headed"; bōzu is also used as a term of endearment for addressing little boys.

Teru teru bōzu became popular during the Edo period among urban dwellers, whose children would make them the day before the good weather was desired and chant, "Fine-weather priest, please let the weather be good tomorrow."

Traditionally, if the weather does turn out well, a libation of holy sake is poured over them, and they are washed away in the river. Today, children make teru teru bōzu out of tissue paper or cotton and string and hang them from a window when they wish for sunny weather, often before a school picnic day. Hanging it upside-down acts as a prayer for rain. They are a very common superstition in Japan.

There is a famous warabe uta associated with teru teru bōzu, written by Kyoson Asahara and composed by Shinpei Nakayama, that was released in 1921.

Possible Origins

There are multiple plausible origin theories for the Teru Teru Bõzu that hold true to historical practices, yet none have been proven to be the true origin.

The most common story of origin and the one that is known by most Japanese people is the story of the ‘weather monk’. Long ago there supposedly was a village that was constantly drowned in rain which ruined their crops. One day, a monk promised the villagers that he could clear the skies and bring good weather for more fruitful farming. But when the rains continued after the monk made his promise, the villagers decapitated him out of spite for his lies.

This story certainly seems plausible and hints at cultural practices from much earlier in prehistoric Japanese history. Some of the oldest Japanese historical records of the era of the earliest Japanese emperors and archaeological digs in places like Asuka, Nara as well as other places, show evidence of human and animal sacrificial practices pertaining to the weather. The ancient practice of sacrificing humans and animals like horses or cows to river gods and sacrificing virgin women and fortune-bearers to placate sea gods in times of rough boating conditions.

Another theory of origin finds its roots in Shintoism in its connection with Hiyoribo, a Yōkai that appears in mountainous areas during summer days filled with sun. Using Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki (100 Demons of Past and Present), a Hiyoribo appears standing in the form of a bald monk amongst the ascending Hitachi mountains (see image below). Many Japanese regions in around the middle of the Shōwa era referred to the Teru Teru Bõzu as ‘Hiyori Bõzu’, showing that the two are somehow connected, though sources vary on what the connection is.

Whichever theory is the true origin, the tradition of weather-watchers and the Hiyorimi culture (rituals of weather-watching) is traced back with certainty by scholars to the Heian period (749-1185), and continued through the Edo period (1603-1867).

Edō Period

Teru teru bōzu appears to have been hanging in Japan by the middle of the Edo era. In "Kiyushoran" (an encyclopaedia book about cultures), it is stated that after facial pieces were done, Teru Teru Bozu is tossed into a river with a bottle of sacred sake. Additionally, there is a description that reads, "Despite heavy rain, I attended a shrine to pray for sunlight tomorrow" in the third volume of "Kagero Diary," a renowned work of Japanese literature that is diary writing. I had assumed that nobody would go there on such a day, but I was informed by an unidentified person that "If you make a girl doll and dress it in hand-made clothes, the weather will become fine tomorrow. Although I could not believe it, I decided to try it and sewed silk clothes. However, I could not understand why this doll works miracles. God only knows whether tomorrow is fine or not. Indeed the doll's white face and clothes remind me of god, but I cannot still believe the miraculous power in the doll." Some scholars believe that this description has a relationship with 掃晴娘.

Pop Culture

Within Japanese pop culture the teru teru bōzu is an iconic reoccurring figure of Japanese folklore which is often times portrayed in multiple forms of Japanese media. The teru teru bōzu has appeared in numerous anime such as the 2019 Makoto Shinkai film “Weathering with You” and the “Love Live”, franchise. Teru teru bōzu has also appeared in global hit videogames such as Ghostwire: Tokyo as one of the many yokai enemies that the player must defeat.

Teru teru bōzu in “Weathering with You

Nursery Rhyme

While arguably disturbing in content, the nursery rhyme “teru teru bouzu” is often sung and performed by Japanese school children.

Teru Teru Bouzu Lyrics

Japanese Lyrics	Romaji	English Lyrics
てるてるぼうず、てるぼうず	Teru-teru-bōzu, teru bōzu	Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
明日天気にしておくれ	Ashita tenki ni shite o-kure	Make tomorrow a sunny day
いつかの夢の空のように	Itsuka no yume no sora no yō ni	Like the sky in a dream sometimes
晴れたら金の鈴あげよ	Haretara kin no suzu ageyo	If it’s sunny I’ll give you a golden bell
てるてるぼうず、てるぼうず	Teru-teru-bōzu, teru bōzu	Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
明日天気にしておくれ	Ashita tenki ni shite o-kure	Make tomorrow a sunny day
私の願いを聞いたなら	Watashi no negai wo kiita nara	If you make my wish come true
甘いお酒をたんと飲ましょ	Amai o-sake wo tanto nomasho	We’ll drink lots of sweet sake
てるてるぼうず、てるぼうず	Teru-teru-bōzu, teru bōzu	Teru-teru-bōzu, teru bōzu
明日天気にしておくれ	Ashita tenki ni shite o-kure	Make tomorrow a sunny day
それでも曇って泣いてたら	Sorete mo kumotte naitetara	But if the clouds are crying
そなたの首をちょんと切るぞ	Sonata no kubi wo chon to kiru zo	Then I’ll sever your head off
Example	Example	Example
Example	Example	Example

Making teru teru bōzu

A teru teru bōzu is very easy to make. Prepare two square pieces of cloth or tissue paper that are both the same size, then secure them together with a rubber band. Wrap the other piece of cloth around the ball-shaped head made from one of the cloth pieces and twist it to form the doll's head. Finally, secure the head in place using the rubber band.

File:E381a6e3828be381a6e3828be59d8ae4b8bb.jpg.webp

Teru teru bōzu

See also

• Ikeda, Nagano – a town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Mascot of this town is designed in the motif of Teru teru bōzu.

External links

Media related to Teru teru bōzu at Wikimedia Commons

• Tracking down the origins of the teru teru bozu (てるてる坊主) sunshine doll tradition
• What are Teruteru Bōzu?
• Japan Toy Museum
• Making of Teru teru bōzu