The Ghibli Clock and the Art of Hayao Miyazaki
The Ghibli Clock is a national monument in Japan. Created by Hayao Miyazaki and built by Kunio Shachimaru, it is in fact a castle of automatons. The look of this monumental clock is recognisable from Hayao Miyazaki's films, especially Howl's Moving Castle. It is a fine example of the artistic side of a clock overshadowing its practical side.
Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki (宮崎 駿, Miyazaki Hayao) is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he won international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated films, and is widely regarded as one of the most talented filmmakers in the history of animation. He was also the creator of the enormous Ghibli Clock.
THE GHIBLI CLOCK
Ghibli Clock - Nippon TV
The Ghibli Clock was designed by Hayao Miyazaki in collaboration with the sculptor Kunio Shachimaru. It is 10 m high and 18 m wide and weighs around 28 tonnes. It is a monumental musical clock with automatons; in Japan, clocks of this kind are called karakuri-dokei. Designed by Hayao Miyazaki, the Ghibli Clock stands at the headquarters of the television channel “Nippon TV” in Tokyo. Studio Ghibli, which has always been financed by Nippon TV, is a kind of Japanese Walt Disney. Depending on the day of the week, the clock gives four or five “performances” in which its automatons spring into action. Doors open and close, lifts go up and down, smoke billows from imposing cannons and automatons of all shapes perform a whimsical dance. Even the hands of the clock join in, ignoring the time for a moment and performing a dance of their own.
This is possibly the monumental clock that tells the most complex mechanical story in the world. For anyone who has seen Spirited Away or, above all, Howl's Moving Castle, the design of this clock looks very familiar. Hayao Miyazaki is a co-founder of Studio Ghibli, and the Ghibli Clock is a tribute to the animated films the studio has produced in recent years. It is a good example of a clock whose practical function of telling the time has been overshadowed by a far greater artistic dimension.
For those who have not yet seen Hayao Miyazaki's work, here are two suggestions that help to understand this clock better:
SPIRITED AWAY
Young Chihiro and her parents have to move to another town. During the move her father decides to take a shortcut to save time, but they get lost and arrive at a building with a strange tunnel in the middle. Although Chihiro refuses to go in, her parents insist on going through the tunnel. On the other side they discover a seemingly abandoned village; the family decides to explore the place and eventually finds a restaurant, where they stop to eat. Chihiro leaves them to carry on exploring. As dusk begins to fall, a mysterious young man called Haku appears and orders Chihiro to leave before night falls completely. Chihiro runs to find her parents while, little by little, the town comes to life: the lamps light up and a variety of spirits appear. When she reaches the restaurant, Chihiro discovers that her parents have turned into huge pigs. Terrified, the girl runs away and begins to realise that she is becoming transparent. Haku appears again and tells her that, so as not to disappear, she must eat something from the world she is in, and offers her a berry. He then takes her secretly to a bathhouse, where she must accept a job before he can help her escape. And so, with the help of several friends she makes along the way, Chihiro sets off on a great adventure to find a way to break the spell that keeps her family transformed into pigs, so that she can go on living her life in freedom.
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE
Sophie, a typical 18-year-old, sees her life turned upside down when she accidentally crosses paths with the mysterious but handsome wizard Howl. As a result, she is transformed into a 90-year-old woman by the vain and wicked Witch of the Waste. Setting out on an incredible odyssey to break the curse, Sophie finds refuge in Howl's moving castle, where she meets Markl, Howl's apprentice, and an impetuous fire demon, Calcifer. Sophie's love and support have an enormous impact on Howl, who, in time of war, will risk his life to help bring peace to the kingdom.
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