BLOG 16.  “Mechanical crab suddenly appeared out of nowhere.”

The highest rank of courtesan in Kyoto of Edo period was Tayu (or Dayu), and Yoshino Dayu Tokuko (1606-43) was a renowned beauty, well educated, talented much sought-after courtesan. Around 1630 she had a unique toy which is the spring-driven metal mechanical crab carrying a cup atop its back. The crab was perhaps used an entertainment to bring saké cup to guests for the party.

This crab exists now and examined in detail. The outer shell of it is not only made of solid silver and thickly covered with gold leaf but encrusted with peacock feathers and precious stones. X-ray examination of the interior of the crab revealed the escapement and the spring installed in the barrel.
The crab is so decorative, gorgeous and the mechanism is the western clockwork. The maker is unknown and it is also not clear how the crab came to be delivered to Yoshino Dayu.

The appearing of this crab is too early to the Japanese karakuri history. I think the crab could be made in the workshop in the Forbidden Palace, Beijing, China.
In 1802, Kyokutei Bakin (1767-1848), who is a popular novelist, met Yoshino’s grandson in Kyoto, and examined the crab. He reported with illustrations in some books. I am attaching the illustrations here (ref: JAK p.19-20).

BLOG 15. “Karakuri chariots marching on the street – Karako-sha”

Here is the movie of Karakos-sha marching on the street. This chariot was ordered to build by a wealthy merchant and completed between 1830 and 1844. The performance is the same as Hotei-sha and writing kanji word.

BLOG 14. “Karakuri chariots marching on the street – Jingukougou-sha”

I am explaining about Arimatsu festival from BLOG 7 to now. There are three karakuri chariots on this festival which are Hotei-sha, Jingukougou-sha and Karako-sha. I reported about Hotei-sha from BLOG 8 to 13.

Here is the movie of Jingukougou-sha marching on the street. This chariot was made in 1873. Jingukougou (Empress Jingu) was a legendary empress of 2nd~3rd century. 

There is the explanation how to make a karakuri toy of Jingukougou inserted in Karakuri Zui published in 1796, and I translated and annotated of the pages of the book in Japanese Automata Karakuri Zui (JAK). The pages of the book are from p.226 to 243. By the way, the sample pages of JAK are at BLOG3. 

BLOG 13.  “Writer doll on the karakuri chariots – How to perform”

This is the last report for Hotei-sha telling from BLOG 7. I had the permission to go into Hotei-sha and shot on this movie how to manipulate two dolls. One doll turns the base like walking around it, and the other doll holds a brush to write a kanji, or Chinese character on the paper attached the flag-plate.

As one movie file for the blog is limited within 100 Mbytes, the karakuri performance here was divided into two parts.

You can see the four men manipulate the dolls from inside of the chariot. They do not only turn the base and also turn the handle which the doll gripping as if effected that the doll turn the handle to move the base. Then one man sits on the bench in the other side of the pillar which manipulate the writer doll. This karakuri has several plates engraved one kanji word each on the surface, and the man sitting to the pillar puts the select one of the plates on the pillar. He will trace the groove of the kanji on this plate by the pen connected to the rod which manipulate the arm of the writer doll. As the result, the doll writes a kanji.

 

BLOG 12.  “Writer doll on the karakuri chariots – Preparing to write”

In the chariot, manipulators of the doll are preparing for the performance. The doll will write a kanji, or Chinese character to the paper on the panel which holds like the flag attached the pole.

BLOG 11.  “Karakuri chariots – Enter to karakuri performance”

This movie is continuation from BLOG 10. Hotei-sha is entering into a town square to show the karakuri performance. Other karakuri chariots will do their performances, too in this square as the fourth photo of BLOG 7.
There are musicians inside the chariot and you can hear that they beat drums and set the tempo for the chariot to go into the square.

 

BLOG 10.  “Writer doll on the karakuri chariots - Marching”

This is a continuation from BLOG 7 to BLOG 9. The movie here is that I shot Hotei-sha marching on the street of the old Tokai-do (Tokai way) through Nagoya city. Tokai-do was the main line connected from Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto in Edo period (1603-1867). 

 

BLOG 9.  “Writer doll on the karakuri chariots. Is it clockwork?”

This is a continuation from BLOG 8. Fukurokuju-sha of the BLOG 6 have one dummy escapement of the clock, but Hotei-sha has two dummy escapements which are attached to the front and rear of the base.
“Escapement” is the regulator of the clockwork and the symbol of the automatic mechanical device, or automata. The dolls of Fukurokuju-sha are mechanical puppets, but not automata. Those dolls are “fake automata”.

 

BLOG 8.  “Writer doll on the karakuri chariots in the storehouse”

I visited the storehouse of Hotei-sha in the night. Such chariots are commonly maintained by the preservation society of each town. Members of the society were preparing the chariot for the festival.
Also, at the room of the rear part of the warehouse, young members trained music accompaniment for the karakuri performance of the chariot.

 

BLOG 7.  “Writer doll on the karakuri chariot since Edo period”

These four photos are taken of a karakuri chariot named “Hotei-sha (Hotei chariot)” which dedicates a festival to Arimatsu-tenman-sha shrine in Nagoya City, Aichi prefecture. Hotei is one of Seven Gods of Good Fortune.

Hotei-sha has three karakuri dolls. The main doll stands on the base and writes a letter to the paper like a flag attached to the pole, and the written letter shows the audience by the turning of the pole. Beside the base, another doll stands and grips the handle connected to the base. This doll turns the handle and walks around the base to rotate it. One more doll stands low level in front of those two dolls and waves the instrument to purify the place. The making age of the karakuri is unknown, but the doll for purify seems to be made in 1820.

There are three karakuri chariots including Hotei-sha are dedicated to the shrine on Arimatsu Festival.

 

BLOG 6.  “Appearing of the karakuri chariots - Part 2 B”

This is a continuation from BLOG 5. Three photos here are:
(1) The inside of the second floor of Fukurokuju-sha looking up the panels to manipulate dolls.
(2) The doll stands on one hand and strike the small gong by the other hand. Please pay attention to the gear train attached the front side of the base. During the performing of the doll, the base will be rotated and activated the gear train.
(3) The base attached the gear train was made in 1761 and still working. The gear train imitates the escapement of the clock and no actual effect. When operators in the chariot rotate the base, the geartrain is interlocked. This escapement is a dummy, but it is an appeal, “Ladies and gentlemen, this doll is clockwork!” (ref: JAK p.19).

It is thought that the first Japanese irregular time keeping system mechanical clock was invented in Owari province, a part of Aichi prefecture now. Owari province was governed by one of shogun’s family in Edo period. About one hundred fifty karakuri chariots are survived in this area. The quantity of the karakuri chariots is greatest in Japan and also it is unique that some of the chariots have such dummy escapements of the clock. It is also interesting that many karakuri chariots of Owari have traditions that their karakuri skills came from Takeda Karakuri which I explained on the BLOG 1.

 

BLOG 5.  “Appearing of the karakuri chariots - Part 2 A”

Three photos here are taken of a karakuri chariot named “Fukurokuju-sha (Fukurokuju chariot)” placed at Wakamiya-jinja shrine in Nagoya City, Aichi prefecture. (Ref: JAK p.16)

(1) Fukurokuju is one of Seven Gods of Good Fortune, and you can see the god is behind two dolls on the second floor of the chariot. The doll stands on the right side of the base will perform dancing there first, then do the handstand by his left hand on the base and strike the small gong attached the base by his right hand.
(2) Accompanists for dolls’ performance are in the first floor of the chariot.
(3) Fukurokuju-sha chariot on the street.

 

 

BLOG 4.  “Appearing of the karakuri chariots - Part 1”

Since in the early 15th century Japan, chariots dedicated to Shinto festivals and often became to have dolls where gods dwell. And in Edo period, those dolls became to have motions manipulated by people hiding in the chariots. Elaborate karakuri chariots gradually appeared.

The three photos here were taken of the karakuri chariots of Takayama Festival:
(1) Takayama Spring Festival at Takayama city, Gifu prefecture.
(2) Manipulating exercises of a karakuri doll named “Sanbaso”.
(3) Actual performance of Sanbaso.

The doll is performed on the horizontal pillar protruding from the chariot. It is said that Sanbaso karakuri on the chariot appeared in the end of 18^th century. Three karakuri chariots including Sanbaso are performed on the Spring Festival, and also one karakuri chariot is performed on the Autumn Festival now.

 

 

BLOG 3.  “Japanese innovated the clock showing the irregular time system.”

Karakuri Zui explains how to make various karakuri. Here are two pictures of my book JAK. The left page of the first picture is the drawing of the original first page of Karakuri Zui to make the Japanese pillar clock, and the left page of the second picture is the original first page to make the tea serving automaton. The red lines and alphabets of the original drawings were attached by me.

In the original book, the author Hosokawa Hanzo Yorinao (c.1749-96) explains about three kinds of Japanese clocks and nine kinds of automatic mechanical toys. In the end of the part of the clocks of the book, Hosokawa points out that the clock is the essence of karakuri.

Japanese innovated the mechanical clock showing the irregular time system which was improved from the Western mechanical clock. When you want to know the mechanism of such Japanese clocks, please read my book Japanese Automata Karakuri Zui.

 

BLOG 2.  “The Western mechanical clock was useless in Samurai age.”

The photo here is the statue of Jesuit Priest Francisco Xavier (1506-52) standing beside a well to preach. (St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church in Yamaguchi city, Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan).

The survived oldest record that Japanese people had to know the Western mechanical time piece is in the biography of a feudal lord Ouchi Yoshitaka (1507-51) written by one of his vassals. The record reported that Xavier presented a clock to Ouchi to get the permission for missionary work in his territory in 1551 (ref: JAK p.13).

When Xavier showed the clock to him and his vassals, it made them amaze at the machine that automatically told time with the sound of a bell, but they also learned that it was useless for daily life, because Japan at that time had adopted the “irregular time system” divided the daytime into six equal parts and nighttime into six equal parts.

INTORODUCTION
Karakuri Zui was written by Hosokawa Hanzo Yorinao (c.1749-96) and published in 1796. It offers extraordinarily detailed information about the automatic mechanical devices known as “karakuri” which were manufactured in Edo period (1603-1867). The book consists with three volumes and has so many diagrams that precisely depict the process of their manufacture. Thanks to the survival of this book, readers of today are able not only to understand the mechanical devices of Edo period but can even attempt to reconstruct them. I translated and annotated the whole contents of this original book into English, on top of the overview of the karakuri culture of Edo period, and published as the book Japanese Automata Karakuri Zui (JAK).

I am in stock of JAK and selling them now. I will continue blogging until this inventory runs out and I wish I will write the blog once a week. In this blog, I would like to write not only matters related contents of JAK but matters that I am learning and thinking since the publication of it.
So, here is the first blog. Please attention to the above picture. 

<Unauthorized reproduction of this blog is prohibited. ©Murakami Kazuo>
 

BLOG 1.   "Japanese showmen strike a Dutchman."

Showmen in Edo period were considered lower class people. However, some of them exited enthusiasm not only in public but in the upper-class people, and even Imperial Court gave them admiring and the honorable titles of the local government officers. Thanks to such honorable titles, showmen were permitted to have their theaters in cities by the local samurai governments. 

The illustration here is the Takeda Karakuri theater located at Douton-bori street, Osaka. This illustration and its story are inserted in the sightseeing guide book Settsu Meisho Zue published in the end of 18 century. In the right page of the illustration, a Dutchman, who was attended by many samurai, stands with his mouth opening wide. Takeda Karakuri was got the honorable title of Oumi-no-Jou (officer of Oumi province government) from Imperial Court in the year 1662. Oumi is Shiga prefecture next to Kyoto prefecture now. “Takeda Karakuri” was the most famous name in Edo period as the mechanical puppets show with their clockwork skills (ref: JAK p.17).