Karakuri ningyō (からくり人形?) are mechanized puppets or automata from Japan from the 17th century to 19th century. There are many beautiful examples: Arrow shooting, serving tea, the geisha, acrobatics, making magic. [more inside]
posted by twoleftfeet on Jul 27, 2010 - 25 comments

Karakuri trick Boxes Brought to you by one of the Karakuri craftsmen. Beautiful and intricate, you may also need some patience. RF-4 by Iwahara, for example, requires 324 moves to open (also featured at the Puzzle Museum)! Lest, you confuse these with Burr puzzles, you must know your puzzle-types.
posted by vacapinta on Jun 25, 2002 - 7 comments