"the 7'8" tall automaton would start his performance by touching a mace to his head before he proceeded to write out Chinese characters...

"touring Germany when he was somehow lost...

"In 2008, the Osaka Science Museum produced a new Gakutensoku. At 10'6", the new golden-skinned automata...

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gakutensoku

--- More on Nishimura & motives: https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-short-strange-life-of-the-firs...

I can find references to:

* Appearance in Korea at an expo (1928, 1929?): https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/landing/article.kci?arti_id=...

* The creator writing about it in 1931 (reference 10 on the same page)

Shanghai but uncertain date.

Was it dismantled in either Korea or China, or shipped back and dismantled, or destroyed?

I like to think he's in some wealthy parlor somewhere, sequestered away, bringing mirth and humanity to an elite few who need it most of all.

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