Teru teru bōzu
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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.[1]
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."[2]
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.[3][4][full citation needed] Today, children[who?] 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.
History
In Japan, it seems that Teru teru bōzu had already been hung in the middle of the Edo period. There is a description in "Kiyushoran" (an encyclopedic book on cultures) that after the weather became fine, teru teru bozu is thrown into a river with a bottle of sacred sake after face parts were applied. Moreover, in the third volume of "Kagero Diary" (a classical piece of Japanese literature, diary literature), there is a description that 'Despite heavy rain, I visited a shrine to pray for sunshine tomorrow. I had thought that nobody would visit there in such a day, but there was an unknown person, who told me, "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.
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.
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[5]” and the “Love Live[6]”, franchise. Teru teru bōzu has also appeared in global hit videogames such as Ghostwire: Tokyo[7] as one of the many yokai enemies that the player must defeat.
Nursery Rhyme
While arguably disturbing in content, the nursery rhyme “teru teru bouzu” is often sung and performed by Japanese school children.
| 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 |
See also
- Ikeda, Nagano – a town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Mascot of this town is designed in the motif of Teru teru bōzu.[8]
References
- ^ O-Lex Japanese–English Dictionary, Obunsha, 2008. pp. 1681—2.
- ^ Miyata, Noboru (August 1987). "Weather Watching and Emperorship". Current Anthropology. 28 (4): S13–S18. doi:10.1086/203572. ISSN 0011-3204. JSTOR 2743422.
- ^ Daijirin
- ^ Kōjien
- ^ https://twitter.com/gkidsfilms/status/1299429041670324231?lang=bg
- ^ https://twitter.com/skaharumi/status/1177415529801236481
- ^ https://twitter.com/playghostwire/status/1528737521508696065
- ^ "ゆるキャラグランプリ2020「てるみん・ふ～みん」". ゆるキャラグランプリ2020. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
External links
Media related to Teru teru bōzu at Wikimedia Commons