Women at Coal Pits (Yama) in the Old Days #6: Pulling down the Coal Sled by Hitching the Towing Rope around the Buttocks (Stepping back on the Dipped Haulage Way)
1958 - 1963

Mukashi Yama no Onna #6: Ketsubiki (Keisha no Aru Kodo o Atozusari ni Sagaru)
[Women at Coal Pits (Yama) in the Old Days #6: Pulling down the Coal Sled by Hitching the Towing Rope around the Buttocks (Stepping back on the Dipped Haulage Way)]
20.6 x 29.2 cm Ink Painting

The female coal carrier stepped backwards from her ascending coalface and pulled her coal sled with her towing rope (karui) around her buttocks when she carried coal in a haulage way (kairo or kaido) with the inclination of about 10 degrees. No wooden ladders (koro) were laid on haulage ways with hard floors. Every owner of a small-scale coal pit in the old days tried not to use such ladders if possible because they were very expensive. The lack of ladders was a source of distress to women carriers (atoyama).

Lyrics of "Gotton Bushi" Song at the Bottom Left
Warui kairo o samo karugaru to tsuya de hiku sama washi ga sama. Gotton!

My sweetheart is pulling a sled so lightly and amorously through a haulage way in poor condition. Gotton (Clang)! (Interjected chant)


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

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