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Japan, Nagoya. March/03/2007. ..Tea-Serving Doll...The ?tea-serving doll? was one of the most popular mechanical dolls used by feudal lords, Imperial Court nobles and wealthy merchants from the Edo Period of Japanese History to entertain guests. Placing a cup of tea in a saucer in the doll?s hands caused it to move forward the length of one tatami mat to where the guest was seated. When the guest picked up the cup, the doll would halt. Replacing the empty cup caused the dollar to return to its original spot for a refill. Herein can be seen the roots of the modern-day ?service robot.? Today, ninth-generation mechanical doll master Shobei Tamaya uses the distinctive strengths of seven different types of wood to evolve even more amazing dolls in this genre. The masterpiece shown here is also displayed in the British Museum in London.

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Filename
japan.sakaisan.022507.fujivelvia100f.34.jpg
Copyright
Owen Murray © 2007/www.ommphoto.ca
Image Size
3608x5559 / 11.6MB
www.ommphoto.ca
Contained in galleries
Nagoya Robot Museum (2007), Japan
Japan, Nagoya. March/03/2007. ..Tea-Serving Doll...The ?tea-serving doll? was one of the most popular mechanical dolls used by feudal lords, Imperial Court nobles and wealthy merchants from the Edo Period of Japanese History to entertain guests. Placing a cup of tea in a saucer in the doll?s hands caused it to move forward the length of one tatami mat to where the guest was seated. When the guest picked up the cup, the doll would halt. Replacing the empty cup caused the dollar to return to its original spot for a refill. Herein can be seen the roots of the modern-day ?service robot.? Today, ninth-generation mechanical doll master Shobei Tamaya uses the distinctive strengths of seven different types of wood to evolve even more amazing dolls in this genre. The masterpiece shown here is also displayed in the British Museum in London.