A mechanical taiko drum clock was erected in the plaza in front of JR Kurume Station on November 13, 1999, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of Kurume’s great figures, Tanaka Hisashige (who contributed to the development of modern Japanese technology and is nicknamed “the Thomas Edison of Japan”), as well as the 110th anniversaries of both Kurume City and Kyushu Railway’s (now JR Kyushu’s) Kurume Station.
The clock was designed to look like a taiko drum clock that Tanaka Hisashige made. At given times, the clock face turns around and a “Giemon” doll comes out to explain some of Hisashige’s works through gestures.
About the Clock:
Height - 5.94 meters (about 19.5 feet)
Diameter of clock face - 2.6 meters (about 8.5 feet)
Seated height of Giemon doll - 0.9 meters (about 3 feet)
Show times:
Every hour on the hour between 8am and 7pm for about 5 minutes
Works Introduced:
Mujinto (a lantern supplied oil by compressed air)
Mannen Kaiten Goma (eternally spinning top)
Yumihiki Doji (robotic child that shoots arrows from a bow)
Doji Sakazukidai (robotic child that carries a sake cup)
Mannen Dokei (Myriad year clock)
Jokisha (model steam engine)
Background music: Musical pieces by people who are from or related to Kurume City
Performances
Sukiyaki: Composer – Hachidai Nakamura; 8am, noon, 4pm
Red Sweet Pea: Singer – Seiko Matsuda; 9am, 1pm, 5pm
My Request: Singer – Checkers; 10am, 2pm, 6pm
Chorus Piece “Chikugo River”
Chapter 5 “Kako”: Songwriter – Yutaka Maruyama; Composer – Ikuma Dan; 11am, 3pm, 7pm
Narrator: Mr. Kurita Yoshinari who works as a presenter and personality on TV and radio
A video of the performance can be seen here (all in Japanese)
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