Hope is the ultimate goddess, but it doesn't hurt to nudge your luck with a few talismans. With two days to go before the elections in Japan, Japanese craftsman Sumikazu Takata is scrambling to put the finishing touches on a vast number of Daruma dolls at his Daimonya studio in Takasaki (northwest of Tokyo).. These dolls, which represent a famous Indian brahmin, Bodhidharma (the founder of Zen Buddhism in China), promise good luck. They are also a favorite purchase of election candidates and their supporters: tradition has it that these dolls, whose eyes are not painted, receive the painting of only one eye when election campaigns begin; the other eye will only be painted if you win. It is not known how many Daruma dolls were bought by supporters of the Liberal Democrat party and how many by the Democratic party, but one thing is certain. In the aftermath of the elections, there will be many one-eyed Darumas…
http://www.japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/view/good-luck-5
