（解説文要約）
この絵には、明治中ごろの入坑風景が描かれています。一先と呼ばれる二人一組での入坑姿です。

入坑は朝の3時と決められていましたが、

少しでも人よりもたくさん掘りたいという競争心から、みな、早めに入坑していたようです。

中には、石炭を積み込む空箱を、独り占めする不届きものもいたようです。

 

 

 

 

This is a painting of miners going down into the pit dating around 1900.
The pair of miners is called Hitosaki, which in this picture is depicted by a married couple.
Entrance to the mine was designated at 3 o’clock in the morning,

but the sense of rivalry among their co-workers and desire to earn more money than others, drove many miners down even earlier.
Some cunning miners even cheated and monopolized empty coal skips in order to earn more.