Much has been written about eighteenth-century automata, and of the history,
culture and language of interaction between man and machine in the West.

The Japanese vision of the 21st century is one of "co-existence with robots".
Japan's love of robots lies in the history of the Karakuri Ningyo. The word
'Karakuri' means a mechanical device to tease, trick, or take a person by
surprise. It implies hidden magic, or an element of mystery.

The http://www.karakuri.info website is an effort to archive and make available
information about the Karakuri Ningyo tradition in English. Until now there has
been little interest from outside Japan regarding the Karakuri Ningyo craft,
and its influence on technology and the arts.

Karakuri has influenced many current day inventions and technologies. With its
creative blending of tradition, spiritual philosophies and technology, Karakuri
continues to inflect Japanese culture in significant ways.