The works of Sakubei Yamamoto

Sakubei Yamamoto lived in Chikuho Coal Mine during the Meiji, Taisho and Showa Eras (from the end of 19th century to the mid 20th century). After working as a miner for about 50 years, he started drawing for the first time at age 66, in order to pass his memories of life at the coal mine to his children and grandchildren.
His work, later called, “Historical Coal Mine Pictorial Records”, shows in great detail, his personal experiences and observations of coal mining society.

He started working on the pictorial records with black ink on paper. He began using watercolors in 1964, following the suggestions of Mr. Tomio Nagasue and others, and his work developed into richer scenic depictions. It was said that he produced more than one thousand pictorial records, full of enthusiasm, before he passed away.
Out of the 589 pictorial records registered to the Memory of the World, 585 works belonging to Tagawa City Coal Mining Museum, are introduced here.

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