Rice Riots at Coal Pits (Yama) #13 (Dynamite Explosion at Kamimio Coal Pit)
July 1965

Yama (no) Kome-sodo #13 (Kamimio Tanko de no Dainamaito Bakuhatsu)
[Rice Riots at Coal Pits (Yama) #13 (Dynamite Explosion at Kamimio Coal Pit)]
38.0 x 53.8 cm Painting in Watercolors and Ink

(Kamimio Coal pit was opened in September of 1894 in former Kasamatsu Village which merged with Iizuka Town in 1909 and became Iizuka City in 1932.)
On the night of September 3, 1918, at 10:00 o'clock, dozens of pieces of dynamite exploded three times on (especially the top of) the refuse heap of the No.4 pit of Kamimio Coal Pit run by Mr. Takichi Aso. The overwhelmingly loud blasts shook the night air and the rock dust was blown up high in the sky, inspiring the malcontents in the pit. 30 soldiers stationed in Iizuka Town ran to the site together with policemen. Nothing else had happened. However, as they could not find out who did it, they arrested all 11 bosses of the miner groups (nayagashira), who were negotiating with the mining company for raises. They were detained in the detention house in Fukuoka for 100 days for rabble-rousing according to the 17th article of the Peace Police Act. Three of them were found guilty (and put on two year's probation under suspended sentence of three month's imprisonment). Additionally, the criminals quickly turned out to be three people including Seitaro Nakagawa. The miners at the pit made efforts to send articles to the detained bosses or help their family members by raising money during the 100 days. The pit foreman of Kamimio Coal Pit at that time was Mr. Ogawa.


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

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