Japanese · No. 078

Tea-Serving Karakuri

Real myth

Tea-Serving Karakuri
It carries tea to you and waits for the empty cup to walk back.
Rarity
Common
Category
Monster
ATK
500
DEF
800
Level
2
Type
Machine
Element
Earth
Constellations
Sun · Hammer

The myth

Karakuri ningyō are Japanese mechanical dolls driven by springs, gears, weights and strings, which flourished in the Edo period. The most famous is the chahakobi ningyō, the tea-serving doll: the host sets a cup on its tray, it walks to the guest and stops; when the guest lifts the cup and returns it empty, it turns around and goes back. The mechanism was described in 1796 by Hosokawa Hanzō Yorinao in the Karakuri Zui, one of Japan's earliest technical manuals. These dolls delighted parties, theaters and festivals, and still appear on festival floats.

Why it has this power

A Common level-2 Earth Machine with 500 ATK and 800 DEF: the lowest attack in the archipelago, because it was made to serve, not to fight. Earth is wood and metal; Sun and Hammer, the craftsman's workshop. It works as material for Bunbuku Chagama and as a cheap shield.

Did you know

The tea doll's spring was made of whalebone, and working replicas have been built from the Karakuri Zui's instructions.

Connections

  • In Aiko, Dojo Apprentice's deck

Where to get it

  • Campaign drop: Aiko, Dojo Apprentice (Archipelago of the Kami) — grade B: 14% · grade C: 13% · grade D: 13%
  • Daily Offering: 0% per pack (Common 64% per card)
  • Welcome Pack: 0.97% per pack (Common 70% per card)
  • Traveler's Pack: 0.88% per pack · 5.2% in the themed pack (Common 64% per card)
  • Bronze Reliquary: 0.86% per pack · 5.1% in the themed pack (Common 62% per card)
  • Silver Reliquary: 0.67% per pack · 4% in the themed pack (Common 49% per card)
  • Golden Reliquary: 0.46% per pack · 2.7% in the themed pack (Common 33% per card)
  • Daily Showcase: Shows up on about 0.69% of days · 150 gold
  • Craft with card dust: 40 dust
  • Crossing of Myths: Can be offered as a reward during a crossing (the card stays in the crossing deck).

Sources

  1. Edo kagaku koten sōsho 3, incl. Karakuri zui (機巧図彙, 1796) — NDL Search record — Hosokawa Hanzō Yorinao; National Diet Library
  2. History — Toshiba corporate information (Hisashige Tanaka, "Karakuri Giemon") — Toshiba Corporation