PM gifts AP’s moonstone bowls to Ishiba

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Japan, gifted his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba ramen bowls made of moonstone sourced from Andhra Pradesh, along with silver chopsticks. Featuring a large brown moonstone bowl with four smaller ones and silver chopsticks, the gift draws inspiration from Japan's ‘donburi’ and ‘soba’ rituals. The moonstone, sourced from Andhra Pradesh (locally called ‘Chandrakantha Mani’), glows with adularescence and symbolises love, balance, and protection, while the base of the main bowl is makrana marble inlaid with semi-precious stones in the traditional ‘parchin kari’ style of Rajasthan. Officials said the vintage precious stone bowls set with silver chopsticks are a blend of Indian artistry and Japanese culinary tradition.

During his visit to the country, Modi presented Ishiba's wife with a pashmina shawl in a papier mache box.

Pashmina shawl, made from the fine wool of the Changthangi goat in Ladakh, is valued worldwide for being light, soft, and warm, they noted. Handwoven by Kashmiri artisans, it carries a centuries-old tradition once cherished by royalty. The shawl has an ivory base with delicate floral and paisley patterns in rust, pink, and red, showing classic Kashmiri design and craftsmanship.

It comes in a hand-painted papier mache box decorated with floral and bird motifs, adding to its beauty and cultural value.

Together, the shawl and box represent Kashmir's artistry, heritage, and timeless elegance, officials said.

On Friday, Prime Minister Modi was presented a Daruma doll by Rev Seishi Hirose, Chief Priest of the Shorinzan Daruma-Ji temple, Takasaki-Gunma. The special gesture reaffirmed the close civilizational and spiritual ties between India and Japan.

The Daruma doll is considered auspicious and a good luck charm in Japanese culture. Takasaki City in Gunma is the birthplace of the famous Daruma dolls. The Daruma tradition in Japan is based on the legacy of Bodhidharma, an Indian monk from Kancheepuram, known in Japan as Daruma Daishi, who is said to have travelled here over a thousand years ago.