Windlass Turned by a Pony to Wind up One Mine Car
March 1965

Ichi Bariki Hito Hako Maki (Namba-shiki Doramu)
[Windlass Turned by a Pony to Wind up One Mine Car]
38.2 x 54.4 cm Painting in Watercolors and Ink

In the latter half of the Meiji era (1868-1912), installing a windlass turned by a pony to wind up one mine car in a pit (yama) mining coal by the badger-hole method of mining (tanukibori) meant that the pit had improved and was taking a step forward. Pits in the deep remote mountains were inclined to rely on the power of ponies. The mine car drawn by the windlass (namba-shiki doramu) was small and had a capacity of 350 kilograms of coal. The pony walked around and turned the windlass without always being pulled by the handler. When a mine car was lowered (sasu), a small wooden sprag was inserted into the openings of one of the pairs of wheels to stop them and cause them to brake. The pointed sprag called a boto in dialect, which was inserted, was 30 centimeters long and 4 or 5 millimeters in diameter. In pits with very steep slopes, a smaller truck was used to lighten the load carried by a pony, which was only used when winding it up.

Lettering on the Talisman Attached to the Top of Pit Mouth Frame
Oyamatsumi-no-mikoto: Great Mountain God


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

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