Four different designs bursting with adorable Ghibli characters and good-luck symbols from Japanese culture.
It’s hard to imagine any fan of Studio Ghibli, or just cuteness in general, being averse to the idea of adding a little more Totoro to their home interior motif. And if that extra dash of Totoro aesthetics should also help usher good luck and good fortune into your home, so much the better, right?
So it’s good to know that Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku has a whole line of good-luck Totoro tapestries on offer right now.
In Japanese, Donguri Kyowakoku calls them the Fukumaneki (“prosperity-becoking”) noren series. Noren are a type of split curtain hung in the entryway of old-school shops and restaurants in Japan, but these ones are sold un-cut, since the designers realize that rather than place them in a doorway, you might prefer to use them as decorative tapestries against a flat wall.
There are a total of four Fukumaneki designs, each with their own traditional Japanese good-luck symbols, starting with this gourd pattern. The exact way by which gourds became symbols of good luck in Japanese culture is a little hazy, with theories ranging from their widening shape being a visual metaphor for growing prosperity to a famous samurai general’s custom of incorporating gourds into his banner following important victories, but they’re widely considered an auspicious item.
Next is a crane and tortoise pattern.
Due to the animals’ long life spans, cranes and tortoises are seen as symbols of longevity in Japan, with the connected expectation of a healthy and happy life. The origami renderings here have a double meaning, as they’re associated with the belief that folding 1,000 paper cranes, as a sign of dedication and determination, will grant you a wish.
The tortoise has its back marked with the hiragana character “to” (と), which also happens to be the first character uses in writing Totoro’s name.
An especially dense collection of good-luck symbols is featured on the kozuchi, or wooden mallet, noren.
Within Japanese folklore, Daikoku, a deity with dominion over wealth and prosperity, is depicted holding a magical mallet that, when swung, can produce riches. So in addition to the mallet, this noren is decorated with koban (oval-shaped gold coins used in the olden days of Japanese history).
You’ll spot a few fans too, which by nature of how they unfold, represent the opening of possibilities and spreading of good fortune.
The last Fukumaneki noren is covered with daruma wishing dolls.
Daruma wishing dolls are sold with both eyes blank. Upon purchasing them, you make a wish and paint in one eye, then when that wish comes true, you paint in the other. The noren’s designers figure you probably don’t want to go painting a cloth, so they seem to have split the difference by including daruma both with and without their eyes colored in, though we suppose that means that if you could still paint in the blank ones if you’re a daruma fundamentalist.
The Fukumaneki noren all measure 85 centimeters (33.5 inches) across and 150 centimeters in length, and are priced at 3,278 yen (US$22). Alternatively, if you’re looking for something that won’t take up quite as much space in your home or budget, there’s also a fuji (wisteria) Totoro noren that’s the same width but only 90 centimeters long for 2,178 yen.
This one doesn’t include any sort of good-luck symbols, but you could make the argument that if you’ve got three Totoros in your house, things are going pretty well, right?
Thanks to a recent restock, all of the designs can be ordered through the Donguri Kyowakoku online shop (gourd here, crane and turtle here, mallet here, daruma here, and wisteria here) and help you get 2025 off to a lucky start.
Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2)
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!