Karakuri puppet
Template:Short description Template:Expand Japanese Template:More citations needed Template:Italic title
Template:Nihongo are traditional Japanese mechanized puppets or automata, made from the 17th century to the 19th century. The dolls' gestures provided a form of entertainment. The word Template:Transliteration has also come to mean "mechanisms" or "trick" in Japanese.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It is used to describe any device that evokes a sense of awe through concealment of its inner workings.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The name Template:Transliteration is thought to come from the Japanese verb Template:Transliteration, which means "to pull, stretch, and move a thread".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It is alternatively written in kanji as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, and archaically as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.
HistoryEdit
One of the earliest recorded references in Japan to similar automata devices is found in the Template:Transliteration, which references a mechanism known as a south-pointing chariot appearing during the reign of Empress Kōgyoku, in 658 CE.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Template:Transliteration were further developed in Japan after the introduction of European clock-making technology sometime in the early 17th century, during the Sengoku period.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> The gears and cams used in clock-making were used to create moving dolls. The country embraced the mechanized puppet performance as a form of entertainment, and it became popular during the Edo period, which was considered the golden age of Template:Transliteration construction and use.<ref name=":0"/>
Template:Transliteration were initially only known to upper-class Japanese, such as Template:Transliteration and Template:Transliteration, as the only members of society wealthy enough to afford them. However, Template:Transliteration gained widespread popularity through their use as part of floats during street festivals, such as the Toshogu Matsuri in Nagoya.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 1662, clockmaker Takeda Omi completed the first Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration designed for stage performances, in the Dōtonbori neighborhood of Osaka.<ref name=":0" /> He then built several of these large puppets for theatrical exhibitions, and the theatre was passed down through several generations of his family.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In the 19th century, Tanaka Hisashige, the founder of Toshiba, gained a reputation by making technically sophisticated Template:Transliteration puppets. His masterpieces are Template:Nihongo3 and Template:Transliteration doll (letter-writing doll). In the case of Template:Transliteration, using mechanical power, a puppet shoots a target with a bow and arrow, and in the case of Template:Transliteration, a puppet dips a brush into ink and writes characters on paper.<ref>Hisashige Tanaka (1799-1881). The Seiko Museum Ginza.</ref>
- 弓曳き童子正面.jpg
Template:Transliteration made by Tanaka Hisashige.
- 文字書き人形.jpg
Template:Transliteration made by Tanaka Hisashige.
According to Kirsty Boyle, a student of one of the last Template:Transliteration puppet masters in Japan, the Template:Transliteration tradition focuses on the art of concealing technology with the belief that it would evoke feelings and emotions more effectively.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It is also noted that, although the Template:Transliteration puppet resembles the human figure, it has a form of decisive movement that features rapid shifts that cannot be captured by the naked eye.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
TypesEdit
There are three main types of Template:Transliteration.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> Template:Nihongo3 were life-sized dolls designed for public performances such as theatres.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Template:Nihongo3 were small and used in homes. Most of them were set on a table and performed a dance or beat drums, but some were designed to serve tea or sake. These were significantly expensive, and usually owned by a Template:Transliteration or other high-status person. Template:Nihongo3 were large mechanical dolls used in religious festivals,<ref name=":1" /> where the puppets were used to perform reenactments of traditional myths and legends.
There were also more inexpensive toys based on traditional Template:Transliteration. The tin toys that for a period were frequently made in Japan and sold for export were sometimes modeled after Template:Transliteration.
Some scholars note that the gestures and movements of the Template:Transliteration have influenced Noh, kabuki<ref name=":0" /> and Template:Transliteration theatre.
Template:TransliterationEdit
The most common example today of a Template:Transliteration mechanism is a tea-serving robot, which starts moving forward when a cup of tea is placed on the plate in its hands. This Template:Transliteration, also known as Template:Transliteration,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> was used in a situation when a host wanted to treat a guest in a recreational way. It moves in a straight line for a set distance, moving its feet as if walking, and then bows its head. The doll stops when the cup is removed. When it is replaced, the robot raises its head, turns around and returns to where it came from. It is typically powered by a wound spring made of whalebone, and the actions are controlled by a set of cams and levers.
GalleryEdit
- Tokugawaendashizoroe5.JPG
- Tokugawaendashizoroe6.JPG
- Tokugawaendashizoroe8.JPG
- Shimohanda festival1.jpg
Template:Transliteration Festival in Handa
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Karakuri.info Template:Webarchive English information site
- Karakuri puppets in Takayama Matsuri Festival Template:Webarchive NHK (video)