Japanese Karakuri (roughly "trick mechanism") are devices whose mechanical movement is designed solely to amuse or surprise. These charming Karakuri papercraft kits by Japanese designer Keisuke Saka are indeed full of surprise with a dose of dark humor: Hesitation (an innovative aviator seems to doubt his flying machine), Sushi's Last Stand (a fish flips one last time in resistance to the chef's knife), Maternal Dilemma (one worm, three mouths, what is a mother to do?), and I Walk Robot (an adorable robot takes a few small steps for robo-kind).

Keisuke Saka is one of Japan's most honored paper engineers. His beautiful designs are thoughtful using only a few moving parts, yet producing elegant movement. The kits require cutting (scissors and a craft knife), folding, and gluing (white school glue) to assemble. Each one takes less than two hours of time to complete. When finished, the models are good sized - the robot stands 10" tall and its base is 4" across. These kits are printed on quality paper and packed in a 8 1/2" x 11" sleeve with a colorful cover boldly showing each model.