Karakuri puppet
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Karakuri puppets 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 karakuri has al
A karakuri automaton, c. 1800, British Museum
Tea-serving karakuri, with mechanism, 19th century. National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo.
Dashi karakuri of the Tsutsui-chō/Dekimachi tennōsai in Nagoya
Yumi-Hiki Doji made by Tanaka Hisashige.
South-pointing chariot
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The south-pointing chariot was an ancient Chinese two-wheeled vehicle that carried a movable pointer that indicated south, no matter how the chariot turned. Usually, the pointer took the form of a dol
Karakuri puppet
…唐繰. One of the earliest recorded references in Japan to similar automata devices is found in the Nihon Shoki, which references a mechanism known as a south-pointing chariot appearing during the reign of Empress Kōgyoku, in 658 CE. Karakuri were further developed in Japan after the introduction of European clock-making…
Exhibit in the Science Museum in London, England. This conjectural model chariot incorporates a differential gear.
An image of a south-pointing chariot from Sancai Tuhui (first published 1609)
Children's instructive toy chariot in Chinese display at Expo 2005 in Japan
An illustration of a differential between the drive shaft (at bottom right) and driving wheels of an automobile