Saturday 30 August 2008

Living Things

Everything comes to life in Japan. Soap holders become frogs and seals, pieces of wood become temple icons (in this case, darumas), and even drops of water come to life to tell us about who to call if there is a blockage or a leak. The daruma doll represents the founder of Zen Buddhism who according to legend meditated for so long that his arms and legs fell off, which makes it even harder to hear the sound of one hand clapping. When knocked over the dolls return to the standing position.