I stumbled upon references to Japan's karakuri tradition whilst writing about Loving the Machine (a book about Japanese robots, in case you were wondering). Karakuri, or karakuri ningyo as it is called, refers to a particular type of Japanese craftsmanship, namely that of the creation of automated or mechanized dolls (also known as clockwork dolls). Folks usually regard them as the earliest robots in Japan.

I've always associated Japan with fantastic robotic creations but I never guessed that this tendency to build bots went so far back! Well, it can be traced quite far back. According to Karakuri, a blog by contemporary karakuri ningyo expert Kirsty Boyle, there was a story as far back as the 8th century AD about a karakuri watering doll made by a prince. Apparently karakuri development really took off in the 17th Century during the Edo period. This was a time when Japan had very little contact with the outside world. We Make Money, Not Art also had a bit about these bots where they talked about a 1660s amusement park which contained a number of such automata. By the way, on a side note, Tim Hornyak (the guy who wrote that aforementioned robotics book) has a blog that covers all things robot-based. One noteworthy page was one about an ancient blueprint for the creation of a karakuri ningyo. Whoa!

Seems like there were generally three types of karakuri puppets to be found in its heyday. Dashi karakuri are usually part of religious festivals and celebrations. The folks handling the puppets would act out stories, usually religious ones, using these puppets. According to the Karakuri site, these puppets were part of a three-storied float which in turn represented local pride in their own area.

Butai Karakuri is the second type. These puppets were utilized for the stage. I suppose, they have the same function as the dashi karakuri since their main use is enactment of a story. You always tend to think of robots as something emotionless and cold (feel free to act out Arnie's Hasta La Vista here). For this reason, it is fascinating that these puppets were utilized in a medium meant to express beauty and emotion. It defies the way we usually see mechanized bots. In fact, Karakuri site alludes to this aspect of adding emotion as well. The author, Kirsty Boyle, talks about the way theatre actors used nonverbal cues and bodily language to convey a message, mannerisms that were vital as some of the parts were played by puppets.

And now my personal favorite, Zashiki Karakuri. These are automated puppets used around the house. It might be purely for one's amusement or it might serve an actual purpose. A lot of sites (including the ones I have referred to in this blog) point at the tea-serving doll. It's this adorable clockwork puppet that holds a plate and brings your tea to you! It dons a beautiful outfit so folks can't see its weird wooden framework. Ooh, I want, I want! By the way, check out Boyle's site for other examples of this type. She writes about an archer doll which will interest people who are annoyed by tea-doll's cutesy factor.