A Mechanical Toy Displayed in Edo by Takeda Ōmi

An interesting predecessor to Japan’s current pop-culture fascination with robots can be found in a craze for mechanical toys or “automata” (karakuri) in the Edo period. Inspired by examples from both China and 16th-century Europe, they ranged from small tabletop versions to larger ones that appeared in festival processions or as special effects in theatrical productions.

There are a few surviving prints by Torii Kiyomitsu of these spectacular devices. In this example, two mechanical boys vigorously pump water that shoots into a “tray landscape” meant to be understood as the high mountainous peaks of the legendary islands of the immortals in the Pacific. The water fills the hollow, tallest peak, then sprays out to turn a small waterwheel. The mechanism also caused the bird to sing and the drum to beat.