Pit Workers in the Old Days #2: Phonograph
1958 - 1963

Mukashi no Yamabito #2: Hatsuonki
[Pit Workers in the Old Days #2: Phonograph]
20.9 x 29.8 cm Ink Painting

The people in the pit showed much interest in the phonograph and put its earphones into their ears after paying as much as 2 sen (0.02 yen) per one time of listening for about 5 minutes, saying, "Hey, here is a speaking machine!" Only adults could pay that much money to listen to it. The charge was too expensive for children, each holding only a 5-kin (0.005 yen) token in their hands. The listeners enjoyed a Japanese folk song called Yoneyama Jinku (by Umekichi from Saga) and so on, putting the earphones on the ends of black rubber pipes like stethoscopes used by doctors into their ears.
At first, the phonograph man played records to attract attention after fitting the trumpet on the phonograph, but its sound was too loud and hard to understand. This was around 1899 or 1900.

Text at the Left End
A brass cylinder about 90 mm both in diameter and length was fitted on the phonograph horizontally, and was being turned as if it were on a lathe.

Lettering on the Tokens in the Children's Hands
gokin: 0.005 yen


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

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