A Souvenir You Finish Yourself: The Takasaki Daruma Craft Kit
Zen Craft Kit │ Takasaki Daruma Standard is a hands-on kit for painting and personalizing your own Takasaki daruma—a traditional good-luck figurine made in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture.
By AAJ Editorial TeamTakasaki: Japan’s Daruma Capital
Takasaki City produces more daruma than any other city in Japan. Each figure is shaped by hand, and for generations these round, red good-luck figures have been a fixture of Japanese homes and businesses. The kit is produced under the supervision of Takeuchi Daruma Studio, which has made Takasaki daruma since 1937.
Kuniji Takeuchi, third-generation head of Takeuchi Daruma Studio
The Kit
Each kit includes a plain white daruma shaped by a craftsperson at Takeuchi Daruma Studio, along with a guide and video content covering the history and technique of daruma-making. Painting and completing the figure takes roughly three hours. There is no fixed color scheme or pattern—the shape is the only given.
Unique Packaging
The packaging is designed after the traditional Japanese rice bag: sturdy, easy to carry, and practical to pack as a souvenir.
The Premium Version
A Premium version is also available, adding a furoshiki (wrapping cloth), wooden box, and incense to the Standard set. The unwrapping itself becomes part of the experience, extending the Japanese aesthetic into the scent and texture.
DATA
Zen Craft Kit │ Takasaki Daruma Standard
Price: ¥5,980 (tax incl.)
Where to buy: Zen Craftworks official online store, CHOOSEBASE SHIBUYA, and others
Zen Craft Kit │ Takasaki Daruma Premium
Price: ¥9,980 (tax incl.)
Produced and sold by: Zen Craftworks
Official website: https://zen-craftworks.com/
CHOOSEBASE SHIBUYA product page: https://choosebase.jp/collections/zen-craftworks
