The art of making karakuri, traditional Japanese mechanized puppets, was developed during the Edo Period, encouraged by the Tokugawa shogunate. To honor Tokugawa Muneharu, the seventh Tokugawa lord of the Owari Domain, who was an important supporter of this art, the mechanical puppet clock photographed here was built and installed at Osu Kannon in Nagoya, in a temple established by the shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa.

The automation lasts for 6 minutes and it is an impressive performance for the technology of its era. If you want to see it, you can admire its representations 4 times a day, at 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM and 5 PM.

Tokugawa Muneharu clock, Osu Kannon Temple, Nagoya

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