551 Buzen, Kaisha no Kenka #1[Fight in a Mining company in Buzen (Tagawa) in the Mid-Meiji Era #1]

Miners (yamabito) in the Meiji era always talked a lot about this fight whenever more than two of them had a meeting even if it was not a fireside chat. It seemed that this fight originated from a rivalry between two large miner groups (o-naya). It was said that hundreds of miners continuously scuffled with each other for as long as three days and that 39 people were killed or injured. Though each of the miners bore no malice against the members of the opposing group, they fought a bloody fight for their lives, probably out of duty to their bosses or sworn brothers. Though it seemed a little courageous for them to have their own way, it is hard for me to understand their thinking if I ponder over it. Miners in the past seemed to think that fights were matters of honor because they gained prestige after they fought. They attacked each other like game fowls. They concentrated on becoming men of influence in fighting, regardless of victory or defeat. Even at that time (during the decade starting from 1897), adults said that if a person who got heavily drunk killed or injured someone, he/she was not much to blame.