Kami-Robo

The trail of trust and treachery reveals the dynamic history of Kami-Robo wrestling. At the same time, the character of each wrestler becomes more apparent with each fight. Some are macho, some timid, some shrewd, some stubborn. Both in and out of the ring, the fighters have lives and stories to tell.

Kami-robo are cardboard robots are a creation of Shukan Taishu. There are over 200 different robots and each has his own persona.

He says he imagines how his kami-robo would behave in certain situations and cope with certain consequences. And while playing with them, he thinks about which wrestlers he admires and those he despises.

Wrapped up in our own dreamland, perhaps we all can construct such vivid simulations. Maybe such games help us to unconsciously figure out what kind of people we want to be and what is most important in life.

Although these creations are cardboard they illustrate another avenue of expression that can be fulfilled by artifacturing. The Japanese seem to be good at this: they can create characters that express an idea, a personality type or emotion. Kami-robo lets them also have battles and relationships.
The robots have a large following in Japan with hundreds of spectators crowding around huge screens to watch the matches live and cheer for their favorite.


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Kami-Robo