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 that originated from the Edo period in Japan, made from paper or cloth, 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.
See also
- Ikeda, Nagano – a town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Mascot of this town is designed in the motif of Teru teru bōzu.[5]
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
- ^ "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