Coal Pits (Yama) in the Old Days #4 (Shredded Tobacco; Pipe-stem Changer)
1958 - 1963

Mukashi no Yama #4 (Kiseru Tabako; Kiseru no Saogae/Ragae)
[Coal Pits (Yama) in the Old Days #4 (Shredded Tobacco; Pipe-stem Changer)]
21.2 x 30.2 cm Ink Painting

Main Text
In August of 1904, tobacco was monopolized by the government and the newly established Monopoly Bureau released many kinds of tobacco. They sold cigarettes, such as Shikishima (10 sen: 0.1 yen), Asahi (8 sen: 0.08 yen), Yamazakura, Yamato, (as well as a high-grade cigarette, Kokka later), Camellia and Golden Bat (5 sen: 0.05 yen), etc. (The Homare was supplied only for the Military.) However, the people at that time including pit workers liked to smoke shredded tobacco very much out of fear of nicotine addiction. Therefore, smokers made it a habit to spend a lot of money on smoking pipes or tobacco cases and boasted about them. A popular song at that time called Rappa Bushi goes as follows:

Kansei tabako wa Fukujuso, Hakubai (jussen),
Satsuki (hassen) ni Ayame (gosen) ni Hagi (yonsen), Momiji (sansen).
Kane no nai tokya Nadeshiko o
go momme nisen (nochi sansen) de koute oke.
Tokko-tottoko-toh-te!

The official tobacco brands are the Fukujuso, Hakubai (10 sen: 0.1 yen),
Satsuki (8 sen: 0.08 yen), Ayame (5 sen), Hagi (4 sen), and Momiji (3 sen).
When you don't have much money, buy a pack of Nadeshiko
at 2 sen (it was raised to 3 sen later) for 5 momme (18.75 g).
Tokko-tottoko-toh-te! (Interjected chant)

In the beginning of the Taisho era (1912-1926), there was an old man who changed pipe-stems (ragae), walking around in Kamimio Coal Pit every day. The people in the pit called him mangara oyaji. It was because he was always singing a parody of the last phrase of each verse "man ga indesho" of a popular song at that time, changing it into "mangara ga yokaro."
The original lyrics of this song are as follows:

"Haikara, haikara" to na wa yoi keredo.
Atama no mannaka ni sazae no tsuboyaki.
Nante man ga indesho!

The name of the "haikara (smart western style hair cut)" haircut sounds so good.
But it reveals the hair whorl like a grilled turban shell in the center of the head.
How unfortunate it is!

"Haikara,haikara" to na wa yoi keredo.
Atama no mannaka ni mizo ga aru.
Nante man ga indesho!

The name of the "haikara" haircut sounds so good.
But it looks as if there is a ditch in the center of the head.
How unfortunate it is!

[Translator's Notes: "Man ga indesho" originally means "How fortunate it is!" However, in the above song, the words were ironically used in the opposite meaning.]

Text at the Top Right
A shredded tobacco brand named Fuyo was also put on the market later. Before then, mainly the tobacco brands named Kokubu and Tengu were sold.


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

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