Coal Pits (Yama) in the Old Days (Underground Carpenter; Rail Bending; Spike Driving)
1958 - 1963

Mukashi no Yama (Konai Daiku; Reru Mage; Inukugi Uchi)
[Coal Pits (Yama) in the Old Days (Underground Carpenter; Rail Bending; Spike Driving)]
21.2 x 30.5 cm Ink Painting

Text on the Right
Even the konai daiku (underground carpenter) used timber only for ties (sleepers) or air gates made of planks, and he was also called a shado daiku (track layer). Experience was needed in laying the track in the makitate (landing: turnout), but the work of laying the track in other places required not only the track layer's technical skill but also his imagination and quickness. There were many cases in which his creative ability counted.
Each spike was handmade from a 5/16-inch (2 bu 5 rin: about 7.6 millimeters) square iron with one sharpened end and one bent end. The normal spike (inukugi) and T-shaped spike called a tombo-gashira were not used. Therefore, the spike was hard to hammer and difficult to pull out after it had been hammered into the tie.

Text on the Left
One of the main tools of the underground carpenter was a jack to bend or straighten the rail.
The jack is called a "jinkuro," and no other name is passable in the pit. The jinkuro for horizontal bending and the one for vertical bending (tenko) are still used today, and the latter is bigger.


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

<<Last pictorial record    Next pictorial record>>

<<Last 10 items  41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50｜  Next 10 Items>>

50／306