Repair Men (Underground Smiths/Constant First-shift Laborers) in the Meiji (1868-1912) and Early Taisho (1912-1926) Eras
May 1965

Meiji, Taisho Shoki Yama no Shuzenkata (Konai-kaji/Tsuneichiban)
[Repair Men (Underground Smiths/Constant First-shift Laborers) at the Pit in the Meiji (1868-1912) and Early Taisho (1912-1926) Eras]
38.0 x 53.9 cm Painting in Watercolors and Ink

They were also called shuhoko (maintenance specialists) or kosakufu (mechanical engineers) at some pits since the Taisho era.

Text at the Bottom Right
Slopes called paipu oroshi (slopes with iron pipes) were also called joki oroshi (slopes with steam pipes), and all of them were used as return air ways. When coal mines were new, these slopes were acceptable, but after a few years, every slope got ruined by rock pressure. Where roof falls did not occur, roofs and bottoms would become swollen and cause steam leaks from joints between pipes. If such defective joints increased in number, the steam-engine pump at the pit bottom stopped. On coal mine holidays, repair men, smiths and other helpers worked together to change the old broken washers for new ones. Even though some air gates along the way were opened to get cold air on that day, the ambient temperature reached 45 degrees Celsius or more, and the workers sweated from every pore. When drops of water (hitsuji) dripped down on their bare backs from the roof, the water was so hot that it terribly astonished the repairers. Their spanners became hot enough to scald their hands. Before the washers of the steam pipes could be replaced, the steam had to be stopped. But if the stop took a long time, pipes cooled down and could cause other leaks, requiring immediate repair by the workers.

Words in the Inset at the Top
suchiimu mori: steam leak

Text Next to the Inset at the Bottom Left
A helper of a kikai shuzenkata (mechanical repair man) was called a mochikata.

Text in the Inset at the Bottom Left
The left figures show a washer. Red lines seen on it were asbestos.
They were made of tin-plate in the end of the Meiji era and changed to ones made of aluminum in the Taisho era.


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

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