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.