Teru teru bōzu

A small handmade Japanese doll, traditionally made from cloth or paper, that is hung outdoors in hopes of bringing sunny weather or stopping rain.

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Japanese folklore: The traditional stories, beliefs, customs, and supernatural beings of Japan. Teru teru bōzu belongs to everyday folk practices rather than formal religious ritual.
Teru teru bōzu song: A Japanese children's song asking a teru teru bōzu to bring clear weather. The song helped make the doll recognizable beyond a household weather custom.
Weather forecasting: The use of observations and models to predict future atmospheric conditions. The doll expresses hope about weather but does not predict it scientifically.
Teru teru bōzu song lyrics: The verses of a Japanese children's song addressed to a weather doll. The lyrics spell out the request for sunshine and the consequence if the wish fails.
Japanese children's songs: Songs composed for or commonly sung by children in Japan. A familiar children's song describes the doll's promise of sunshine and its threatened punishment.
Hiyoribōzu: A Japanese weather spirit or figure invoked in folk belief to bring fine weather. It is often proposed as a folkloric predecessor or relative of the doll.
Origami: The Japanese art of folding paper into shapes without cutting or gluing it. Paper dolls can be made alongside other simple Japanese paper crafts, though folding is not required.
Hanging a teru teru bōzu upside down: A folk practice of turning a teru teru bōzu upside down to wish for rain. Reversing the doll’s usual orientation changes the weather wish from fair skies to rainfall.
Japanese paper craft: Handcraft traditions in Japan that use paper to make decorative or functional objects. Simple paper versions make the doll an accessible household craft.
Rain priest: A figure in Japanese legends whose prayers or actions affect rainfall and clear weather. One origin story links the doll to a monk who promised to end prolonged rain.