People at Coal Pits in the Old Days #11: Repairers; Timbering the Roof
1958 - 1963

Mukashi Yama no Hitobito #11: Shikurikata; Wakuire
[People at Coal Pits in the Old Days #11: Repairers; Timbering the Roof]
20.7 x 29.1 cm Ink Painting

Some pits had slopes whose roofs did not need to be reinforced with additional support units. However, the roofs and walls of slopes in most pits would naturally loosen and begin to fall one by one after a long time. Their condition became dangerous if they were not reinforced with new support units, though it cost much money to do so. Therefore, repairers (shikurikata) added an intermediate support unit called a ma-waku between old units more than 4 shaku (1.2 m) apart from each other.
Both legs of a support unit were inclined and the tops were about 40 cm and 10 cm apart from the walls on both sides respectively. A support unit whose legs were not fixed in hitch holes (waku-gama) driven deeply enough was called a ningyo-waku, which was imperfect (unstable).

Lyrics of "Gotton Bushi" Song at the Top Left
Onna kinsei koya no yama ni
nazeni mematsu ga haeta yara?
Gotton!

Why is the Japanese red pine considered as female found in the forest of Mt. Koya, which is closed to women as a Buddhist training center?
Gotton (Clang)! (Interjected chant)


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

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