Coal Pits (Yama) in the Old Days: Pit Workers and Fights
1958 - 1963

Mukashi no Yama: Yamabito to Kenka
[Coal Pits (Yama) in the Old Days: Pit Workers and Fights]
21.2 x 30.3 cm Ink Painting

I already painted pictures about pit workers and fights or their tattoos before painting this one. I painted this to describe the tattoo showing a Chinese dragon coiling around the divine sword. It seems that the tattoo shows Acalanatha Vidya-raja (Fudo Myoo). An old book says that it is called the kurikara mon-mon and is a typical design among Japanese tattoos.

Text at the Bottom Left
Pit workers made it a habit to immediately take off their clothes even when they fought with swords in the freezing cold of midwinter. It was said that it was because they wanted to show their tattoos to each other. However, it was partly because they could move more freely without their clothes.


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

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