BLOG 21. “God’s creation and human’s creation.”
The
monk automaton and the tea serving automaton share a lot of common features as
I wrote on BLOG 17 and 20, but both have also one interesting difference.
The
monk automaton is striking his chest with one hand and flourishing a small
wooden cross with the other hand. The conservator Todd-san explained me that it
expresses the Catholic concept of “mea culpa” or “I am to blame”. Eyes of the
monk is actually moving as if gazing someone near him. Todd-san said to me that
the monk is saying as if “God is watching you.”
When I
visited Todd-san’s workshop, I brought there a replica of the tea serving automaton
in Edo period which my friend karakuri specialist Minesaki Sougo-san made. On
the table of Todd-san’s workshop, the tea serving automaton was carrying the
Japanese tea cup to him with nodding his head like “Nice to meet you Mr. Todd.
I am bringing you a hot tea”.
The
monk automaton serves God, and the tea serving doll serves human. The monk
automaton is strict, and the tea serving automaton is peaceful. The monk
automaton serves God and the tea serving automaton serves the human.
At Todd-san’s workshop, I also met Elizabeth King-san who is sculptor and automata researcher. At the time, I took the photo here. Elizabeth and David research the monk automaton for long years and at last, completed the wonderful book “MIRACLSE AND MACHINES a sixteen-century automaton and its Legend” in 2023. The book is definitely worth to read. I also put the photo of the book here.
Here are
two photos. First photo is a monk automaton owned by Smithsonian Institute and
displayed at National Museum of American History (NMAH), USA. And second photo
is Mr. W. David Todd and I at his workshop of NMAH in 1999. Todd-san was the conservator
of the monk automaton at that time and I visited him to learn about it.
The monk automaton seems to be made in the middle of 16th century in Spain or south Germany. This automaton and the Japanese tea serving doll have several points in common. They walk but the feet are dummies and are driven forward by wheels. They both have three wheels and two main wheels of them are not only located on the right and left sides of their bodies, but those wheels on the left side are shaped like gears. Both dolls go a fixed distance and change the direction. We cannot confirm yet whether or not these two dolls have any relation to each other. (ref: JAK p.25-27)
BLOG 19. “Japanese could not make the steel spring for long time.”
The first photo here is an end part of whalebone. I got this at an antique market for many years ago. The whalebone was used not only spring but parts of fishing rod, fan bone, ornamental hair pin and so on in Japan. This whalebone I got may be leftovers from making such things. The second photo is a broken whalebone spring. It was used for a walking doll in Edo period. And the third photo is inside of the broken whalebone spring. Fourth photo is a real Japanese matchlock gun made in Edo period. I took this photo on a demonstration for a festival.
BLOG 18. “Clockwork of the tea serving doll”
The tea
serving doll has the escapement as the clock.
Two drawings of it here are
inserted in Karakuri Zui.
(1) The
escapement is put on the side plate of the body. (ref. JAK p.110)
(2) The
author of Karakuri Zui explains that the part of the gear to control the
escapement can be done by nailing nails along the edge of a round plate instead
of a crown-shaped gear. (ref. JAK p.122)
Also, a photo here is the actual construction of it. This was made by my friend karakuri restorer specialist Minesaki-san, and the gear of the escapement was made by cutting bamboo into a ring and shaved into crown shape as same as Edo period tea serving doll.
BLOG 17. “Tea serving doll was the most popular
automaton in Edo period.”
Tea
serving doll has a mainspring and automatically carry a tea cup to the guest
and return. The drawing showed here is the its main mechanism (ref. JAK p.104).
The winding black belt in the drawing is the mainspring. Also, the photo here
is a replica of the tea serving doll which is made by my friend Minesaki Sougo (ref.
JAK p. 247-248). Minesaki-san is
specialist restoring karakuri of Edo period. There are tea serving dolls made
in Edo period are survived and found not only in Japan but some Western
countries. The inventor of this automaton is unknown, but someone who was
stimulated by Yoshino Dayu’s mechanical crab (ref: BLOG 13) might make it.
The
survived oldest record of the tea serving doll is one of haikai renga (linked short
poems) written by famous novelist Ihara Saikaku (1642-93). The poem was written
in 1692 as follows:
Cha wo
hakobu (Carrying tea
Ningyo
no kuruma Wheels of the doll
Hatarakite Work so)
Also,
famous poet Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828) made a haiku (short poem) as follows:
Ningyo
ni (By the doll
Cha wo
hakobasete Tea was delivered
Kado
suzumi A
breeze enjoyable here)
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 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 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.
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.
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 18th 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).
BLOG 27. “… (Dull)” This guest is boring and thinking, “He invited me and shows his collections, but I am not so interested in such ki...
