Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

Posted by Mike Cash (Kiryu, Japan) on 17 August 2007 in Art & Design and Portfolio.

Yesterday, I decided to take a trip up to the historical Ashio Copper Mine, up in the mountains not too far from where I live. It's an easy one hour drive, but there is a unique train line that runs through the valley of the Watarase River and which offers some interesting sight-seeing out the train windows, so I took the train instead.

At the copper mine, which was open for centuries and closed in 1973 after more than 1200km of tunnels through a single mountain had pretty much depleted the copper ore and largely wrecked the environment, you take an old mine train down into the tunnel a hundred meters or so, along the way passing several static displays with mannequins depicting mine workers from the Edo Period (think pre-1868). It was a time when life was, to borrow from Thomas Hobbes, "poor, nasty, brutish, and short". Contemporary photos from the era on display at the nearby Historical Center drive the point home like a sledge hammer.

I went alone because I didn't want to rush through the tour at the same pace everyone else does, which is what happens when I have to chase after my kids. My own group disappeared and two others came and passed me by before I had hardly started into the tour. As I stood by this mannequin, which stands near the tracks in the deep darkness of the tunnel, another train arrived. The people had seen the other mannequins as they passed down the tunnel and the sight of one that was moving in a very life-like manner (me) caused quite a stir.

Anyway, I waited for everyone to clear the hell out and then took my sweet time taking pictures.

Camera: Pentax K100D dSLR
Lens: SMC Takumar 28mm/f3.5

Original photo is <here>.

VFXY Photos