KARAKURI Karakuri puppets originated in Japan in the 1600s Karakuri means mechanism or trick And that's just what these puppets were They were mechanisms that tricked the eye The puppets were automatons that could move on their own They did so with the help of weights pulleys springs and other simple mechanisms These mechanisms were often hidden from view This gave people the illusion that the puppets had come to life One of the most well known examples of this craft was the tea serving karakuri The standing doll could move forward to deliver a cup of tea then turn around and move back These movements were triggered by the weight of
a teacup as it was placed into or removed from the doll's hands Other karakuri puppets could write dance and even shoot arrows Japanese karakuri puppets inspired the creation of mechanical paper art Craftspeople in Japan and beyond have applied the simple hidden mechanisms of karakuri to paper models And you can do the same
MATERIALS To make your own karakuri inspired paper art you'll need materials to make paper figures You'll also need materials to create the mechanisms
Here are some of the materials you'll need for the projects in this book PAPER FIGURE MATERIALS card stock colored paper colored pencils markers or other drawing tools corrugated cardboard glue scissors MECHANISM MATERIALS corrugated cardboard craft knife foam tape glue matchbox nails pins plastic bottle straws tape Wire wooden skewers
