The Pit Worker Youth Association Called a Seinen-gumi Composed Only of Boys, Also Called a Wakate-gumi or Wakaimon
1964 - 1967

Yama no Seinen-gumi: Danshi Dake Wakate-gumi/Wakaimon
[The Pit Worker Youth Association Called a Seinen-gumi Composed Only of Boys, Also Called a Wakate-gumi or Wakaimon]
38.0 x 53.8 cm Painting in Watercolors and Ink

In the late Meiji era (1868-1912), some coal mines producing five-thousand tons or more of coal in a month organized youth associations called seinen-dans. Such youth associations could be organized only at coal mines where there were understanding personnel sub-section managers with excellent social consciousness.
K Coal Pit's youth association was organized in 1908 and each member of this association had a chochin (folding Japanese lantern) lettered in Chinese characters with "Jissen-kai (practice society)," which looked beautiful only at night. After this wakate-gumi was organized, the young boys in the pit seemed a little more disciplined. It goes without saying that such associations improved young people's attitudes.
But these associations did not last long. Many of the youth associations in pits broke up as their lanterns became old. It was because each member had a different job in the pit contrary to the youth from youth associations in villages and towns, and it was hard for all members in the pit to assemble even on holidays. They worked on a two-shift system and their usual underground jobs were so hard that they got very tired. They often moved from one pit to another. For these reasons, all of the members usually could not meet and do voluntary activities.
At that time, most of them wore flannel shirts, awases (lined kimonos), and dark-blue atsushis. [Translator's Notes: Atsushis were coats resembling to an Ainu attus, a short winter coat of thick cloth woven with the grain of Manchurian elm, which is padded with cotton cloths.] Some boys sensitive to the cold wore shika-no-makis (scarfs) to keep out the cold. Mantles called shoko mantos or hikimawashis became trendy in the late Meiji era and the beginning of the Taisho (1912-1926) eras, but they were not popular in pits. In summer, they wore white yukatas (informal cotton kimonos). Knitted clothes were not seen at coal mines.

Creator's Additional Notes: They made it a rule to only wear white belts, which were called obis, heko-obis or sukogis (shikogis). But when the Imperial funeral of Emperor Meiji was held on September 13, 1912, people at that time wore black obis in mourning, and black obis are still mainly used now.

Text at the Bottom Left
Young people of 15 years of age or more were treated as adults, including those in farming villages.

Types of Chochin
Umanori: one for riding horses
Yumihari: one with a bow-like handle


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

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