FIGURE

Object/Artifact

St. Joseph Museums

Name/Title

FIGURE

Entry/Object ID

423/10980

Description

FIGURE/SITTING ON BOX/EATING WATERMELON

Collection

ETHNOGRAPHIC/JAPAN

Made/Created

Date made

circa 1890 - circa 1920

Place

Continent

Asia

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Country

Japan

Culture/Tribe

Japanese

Notes

Ethnography determined based on similarities to other items on the Internet.

Lexicon

Legacy Lexicon

Object Name

FIGURE

Parts

Count

Material

Wood

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Research Notes

Notes

This type of toy is known as a Kobe toy. These small wooden carvings are mechanical in nature, called automata. The origins of the toys date to the opening of the Kobe Port in Hyogo, Japan in 1868. These toys were made only for the tourist market and are rarely found in Japan today - they are much more likely to be found in Europe, from where the wealthy tourists traveled when they would visit Japan.