Rare Japanese Kobe Toy Meji Period 1890 To 1910 No 4
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:90442 | Primary Material: Wood/ Woodenware |
| Original/Repro: Antique Original | Product: Toy |
| Region of Origin: Japanese |
Rare Japanese Kobe Toy Meji Period 1890 to 1910. Dispatched with Royal Mail 2nd ClassWonderful and rare Kobe Toy whose neck extends dramatically when the side pusher is pulled out.He is lying on his red pillow.He is missing a red fan in his hand and his left leg should extend also.A beautiful and larger of the toys I am selling but with some items missing as stated.
This rare survivor will be part of a small collection that I will be listing shortly.The photos form the major part of... the description.The movement uses cotton line etc within the wooden box.An explanation of the origins of these wonderful rare toys is below.
Made at the Japanese port of Kobe, local craftsmen began producing the curious mechanical Kobe Toys, as they came to be known. By turning a knob or pushing and pulling a lever the weird figures would come to life. They would beat drums, wave fans, and kick their legs crazily whilst their carved heads may well rocket upwards on over-length necks! They were often given tiny carved eyeballs and red coloured tongues which could move in and out of their mouths. Some of them performed from boxes, others seated or lying in wheeled boats.
The Kobe Toys were never exported commercially and the majority of them were said to have been mainly offered for sale at the docks. They made wonderful souvenirs of a trip to Japan and in that way they would have been exported around the world as souvenirs of a visit to Kobe. They are still not easy to find but turn up occasionally at antique fairs and toy collectors’ fairs around the world.
This rare survivor will be part of a small collection that I will be listing shortly.The photos form the major part of... the description.The movement uses cotton line etc within the wooden box.An explanation of the origins of these wonderful rare toys is below.
Made at the Japanese port of Kobe, local craftsmen began producing the curious mechanical Kobe Toys, as they came to be known. By turning a knob or pushing and pulling a lever the weird figures would come to life. They would beat drums, wave fans, and kick their legs crazily whilst their carved heads may well rocket upwards on over-length necks! They were often given tiny carved eyeballs and red coloured tongues which could move in and out of their mouths. Some of them performed from boxes, others seated or lying in wheeled boats.
The Kobe Toys were never exported commercially and the majority of them were said to have been mainly offered for sale at the docks. They made wonderful souvenirs of a trip to Japan and in that way they would have been exported around the world as souvenirs of a visit to Kobe. They are still not easy to find but turn up occasionally at antique fairs and toy collectors’ fairs around the world.
