On April 21, 2026, four giant darumas bearing the likenesses of the four brothers of Hokuto no Ken were unveiled in the entrance hall of the Koshigaya city hall, a city in Saitama Prefecture. Tetsuo Hara himself painted the eyes of the four pieces in a local workshop, a task completed in three and a half hours.
Four darumas, four brothers
The four pieces each represent a brother of Hokuto Shinken: Raoh the eldest, Toki the second, Jagi the third, and Kenshiro the youngest. Each daruma measures 75 cm in height and 60 cm in width. The Koshigaya darumas have a recognizable local characteristic, a distinctive beard. In addition to this feature, each piece bears a unique ideogram for each brother: 覇 (ha, supremacy) for Raoh, 慈 (ji, benevolence) for Toki, 狂 (kyō, madness) for Jagi, and 拳 (ken, fist) for Kenshiro.
Tetsuo Hara and Koshigaya
This project was made possible by a personal connection: Tetsuo Hara spent part of his childhood in Koshigaya. It was in a workshop in the city that he painted the eyes and details of the four darumas on April 21, taking three and a half hours. The daruma is a traditional Japanese figure associated with perseverance and achieving goals; one eye is painted first while making a wish, then the second once the goal is reached. Entrusting the creator himself with painting the eyes is a deeply symbolic gesture.
A local tradition
The Koshigaya daruma is one of the region’s traditional crafts. This collaboration between the city hall, local artisans, and Tetsuo Hara is part of an effort to promote the city’s artisanal heritage, using the worldwide fame of Hokuto no Ken to shine a light on local craftsmanship. The four darumas are on display in the entrance hall of Koshigaya city hall.
