Teru teru bozu, the magic doll that keeps away rain
Kids in the States know how to send away unwanted rain and attract the sun.
Rain, Rain, go away, come again some other day
Ah, the power of verse.
In Japan it is a bit different, but the idea is similar. When it is nasty weather and children want tomorrow to be sunny, they make a Teru teru bozu1 (てるてる坊主) doll.
Photo by Daisuke Matsumura
The teru-teru bozu doll isn’t hard to make. Take some tissue paper, for the head and tie it, and let the rest hang loose. Looks more like a ghost than a doll. Oh, but it’s no ordinary doll….
This doll has magical powers! When placed in the window, he will make the bad weather go away. And… if he doesn’t — you get to rip his head off as punishment. So it’s a win either way.
A nice, wholesome kids game, eh?
The teru-teru bozu song
There is a song that goes along with the doll. It goes like so:
Teru teru bozu, terubozu Bring good weather tomorrow Like the sky in a dream If it is clear, I’ll give you a golden bell Teru teru bozu, terubozu Bring good weather tomorrow If you listen to my request We’ll also drink lots of sweet sake Teru teru bozu, terubozu Bring good weather tomorrow However, if it is cloudy and you’re crying I will cut your head off!
Nice song, eh? Trying to tempt the weather gods with golden bell2 and then threatening decapitation for failure. Ah, the samurai spirit is alive and well in Japan3.
The dark, dark history
Wikipedia tells us that like many Western nursery rhymes, the song is rumored to have a dark history. Legends speak of a monk who promised some farmers to stop the rain, but was executed upon failure to do so. Ouch.
Let that be a lesson to meddling monks everywhere.
More seriously — knowing Japanese history, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.
Wikipedia also translates the song a little differently than I have, so head over there if you want to compare.
And let’s close with a video of some young girls dancing to the song.
- Be sure to flick your r’s like you do in Spanish or Italian. Otherwise it sounds completely wrong. ↩
- And let’s face it, who wouldn’t want a sweet set of golden bells! ↩
- To all worried about corrupting the children: The last few lyrics are often changed to simply ask for sunny days every day instead of promising swift death. ↩
Join the discussion
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
Clear sky Japanese voodoo…
Most nursery rhymes have their origin in loss and pain. Japanese nursery rhymes are no different. Learn what happened to the monk who promised he could persuade the weather to clear up. Sing along to .…..
[…] a sunny day is desired and …Video Rating: 4 / 5 Emily’s first video!
The Japanese tradition of teru teru boz…l period and represents a form of rain charm for either […]