Helper Scooping up Coal into a Mine Car
1958 - 1963

Hako ni Sekitan o Ireru Atoyama
[Helper Scooping up Coal into a Mine Car]
21.2 x 30.3 cm Ink Painting

Lyrics of "Gotton Bushi" Song on the Right Side
Iyana hitoguri, jaken-na kamba, nasakeshirazu no nayagashira. Gotton!

What a shame that I must have a hateful personnel supervisor (hitoguri),
unkind treasurer (kamba), and cruel group boss (nayagashira)!
Gotton (Clang)! (Interjected chant)

Note: This song was rarely sung because the miners at that time were very afraid of the above people. It was never heard in the Meiji era (1868-1912).

Text at the Top Left
She had to quickly finish scooping up coal into the mine car because the next mine car was waiting to be loaded. A woman atoyama (hewer's helper: carrier or drawer) was thought unskilled if she used her ganzume (four-blade rake) more than once to fill an ebijoke (bamboo winnow) with coal.


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

<<Last pictorial record    Next pictorial record>>

<<Last 10 items  81 | 82 | 83 | 84｜85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 |   Next 10 Items>>

84／585