北海道開拓の歴史Ⅲ騙されて連れて来られ暴力を振るわれ過酷な労働を強いられたタコ部屋労働【音声解説】（電車日本一周補完の旅15～21日目）
In the third installment of the history of Hokkaido development, we will introduce octopus room labor.The development of Hokkaido, which began in earnest during the Meiji period, was carried out by the migration of samurai tribes, tondenhei, and group migration from rural villages, but
At the same time prison labor They were also subjected to harsh labor in octopus room labor.Octopus room labor is a type of labor in which workers in their prime of life are forced to work hard for long hours at low wages under violent control in remote areas.
In Hokkaido, bridges, tunnels, roads, railways, etc. were built, and rivers were maintained through this octopus room labor.As a result, Hokkaido’s infrastructure was improved, and some of the current development of Hokkaido is said to have benefited from octopus room labor. I can say that octopus room labor continued until after the war, and
Was carried out not only in Hokkaido but also in various parts of Japan, as well as Sakhalin and Manchuria in Korea.This time, we will talk about the octopus room labor that took place in Hokkaido, while touching on the historical background of the time. I hope that this video will help
You become interested in Hokkaido and modern Japanese history.First of all, I would like you to view the content I will be talking about from now on for reference only.Information from books you have read and the internet. I would like you to understand that it is
Only a part of the modern history of Hokkaido and Japan and does not cover everything from that time.Also, this time I will introduce videos that fit the theme. This video is a combination of videos and photos that I took while traveling around Hokkaido, so it’s even more boring than usual
, so please select the parts that interest you from the table of contents in the description section. The name of octopus room labor is as follows: octopus labor Well, octopus labor is simply described as
Earthworks collected from various places, isolated from the human population for a short period of time such as six months, and forced under violent control for long hours and low wages. Some people came from Hokkaido or Honshu to work on their own volition, but the majority were deceived into
Coming here by being told that there was good work with high wages, or good jobs where they could enjoy and earn money. In order to isolate them from the rest of the world and prevent them from escaping, the lodgings were located on cliffs facing deep mountains and valleys, where they were
Confined and forced to do hard labor. If they collapsed, they would be given time off, and if they couldn’t move while working, they would be buried on the spot as an example or made into human pillars.There are various theories as to why this harsh labor is called octopus labor, and it
Was locally employed. In contrast to the people who worked on the earthworks who worked on the land, they were called local workers, and those who were hired from outside Hokkaido were called other people.As a result, like a kite with a broken string, they would run away if they were left unsupervised, so
They would be forced into small rooms like octopus pots. Therefore, like an octopus that clings to a rock and does not let go until it dies, the earthworker who enters the octopus room works desperately or until he dies, and when he starves, he eats his own legs. It is said
That the octopus labor was done after the war until the American occupation forces ordered the dissolution of the octopus room. After the Meiji period, octopus labor was carried out in various parts of Japan, but Hokkaido was the most common.
This was because Hokkaido was an unexplored area and there was a rush to develop it. Details are introduced in the previous video. In preparation for the threat of Russia moving south, and in order to use Hokkaido’s rich natural resources for modernization, the nation rushed to develop Hokkaido.However ,
At that time, Hokkaido was a land of vast primeval forests, and it was difficult to live in Hokkaido. There were very few people willing to do so, and there was an overwhelming lack of manpower to develop the land.Therefore , the government used prisoners, who cost half as much as ordinary people, to
Develop roads, ports, and mines, but it ran out of financial leeway and cooperated with large capital. Eventually , large capitals began to take on the responsibility of developing Hokkaido.As far as I can tell, the first time I saw octopus labor in Hokkaido was in 1890,
During the construction of the Muroran Line of the Hokkaido Coal Mine Railway. The period overlaps with prison labor, and prison labor was abolished in 1898, and octopus labor began to be seen in various parts of Hokkaido after
That.Prison labor is said to have been abolished due to the human rights of prisoners being questioned, but octopus labor It can be said that labor was replaced by cheaper labor. Labor was sold from the government to the private sector, and the government tolerated octopus labor and arranged civil engineering work to prime contractors,
Who then subcontracted civil engineering work. Part of the profits made by cutting out wholesalers was used for political donations, and subcontractors collected octopuses and worked them hard at low wages.The octopus room itself was said to have had a low budget for the construction work it undertook, so it was
Said that it was not profitable to use octopuses at low wages. As Hokkaido progressed, large amounts of capital from the steel and paper industries moved into Hokkaido , and at that time, factories were built using octopuses, and ports and railroads were built to transport the products made at the factories.In
The 1890s From then on, Japan’s population increased and food became scarce, and more people came to work in Hokkaido.Furthermore , due to floods and the recession after the Russo-Japanese War, the number of people living in Hokkaido increased, and the development of Hokkaido progressed
, but it was still vast. In Hokkaido, where nature remains untouched, there is a lot of civil engineering work going on, and there is a chronic shortage of workers.As will be explained later, earth workers were tricked from Honshu to be brought in to work.In
This way, octopus labor was carried out in various parts of Hokkaido. Not all of the civil engineering work that was being done in Hokkaido was octopus labor; there were both well-paid and ordinary jobs, but they were filled by local residents.Large
Capital set up labor costs on a low budget. The work that no one wanted to do, with low wages and long hours, was given to the octopus who had been tricked into the job.The octopus used violence to control the earthworker and make him do his bidding.There was a strict vertical hierarchy
In the octopus labor . The person in charge is the master manager, and below him there is a manager who decides on work arrangements and layouts, and a manager who is his assistant. Below that there are several on-site supervisors called bogashira, and these are called kamiidai. Below them were
Farmers and fishermen from surrounding areas such as Nakaeidai, who came to earn money during the off-season, and skilled workers, and then there were octopus Shimeidai, recruited from other regions.The social status system was strict. It is said that the octopuses were not even allowed to speak directly to the caretaker.The
Octopus room was a log cabin with no roof and was locked from the outside to prevent people from escaping at night.There were 3 to 40 people, but up to 7 people. 80 people were housed in the facility, and all their actions were controlled
By a single command. They were given the order to wake up in the dark, ate in 10 minutes, and went to work. At the site, they worked on embankments, cutting, pushing trolleys, and carrying mokko.
There were only 2 mokko. He weighed 180 kg, and his shoulders were swollen and peeling from the stretching rod.He was dressed in a red loincloth so that if he ran away, he would be easy to find.The guards kept a close eye on him to make sure he didn’t run away with a gun.
The foreman ran frantically around the workshop, yelled , and if he moved slowly, he would hit him with a club, kick him, or stab him with the thorns on the end of his stick, and
If he showed even the slightest dissatisfaction with his orders, he would use a club or leather whip to shovel him with green bamboo . The octopuses were beaten so mercilessly that the shape of their faces changed. Private conversation was strictly prohibited during the work, and the octopuses worked in silence,
And when orders were given to eat at 9 o’clock or 2 o’clock, they were given rice balls sprinkled with salt while standing in the work area . They worked 14 to 16 hours a day, and when the work was finished, they lined up and
Returned from the site to the earthwork room, where they stood and ate a meager supper.Those who liked alcohol were allowed to drink just one bowl of cold sake, but of course it was deducted from their wages. Like the cigarettes and daily necessities sold at counters, the prices were three times the average
Price.When taking a bath, 10 people were forced into the bath at a time, and they were taken out in 5 minutes.In groups of two, they got into the futon and gathered their removed clothes to use as pillows. I ate
Mainly white rice four to five times a day, and I ate 9 cups of rice a day, but it was unbalanced and I ate it in a hurry, which caused beriberi and gastrointestinal diseases. Octopus labor was basically employment during the season when there was no snow, but there
Was some work to be done in the winter.Irrigation ditches, drainage ditches, and river valleys had less water in the winter, and the use of water decreased , so work was done in the winter. Even in the
Winter, they were forced to work in just a loincloth – in 20℃ temperatures without rubber shoes and forced to scour the river, and most of them suffered frostbite. Some had their legs cut off due to frostbite, and the octopuses became useless
It is said that they were given a small amount of money and food and kicked out of their rooms.This work was also done to grow rice.Originally, Hokkaido was a land where rice could not be grown, but from the latter half of the Meiji period
, rice could be grown due to improved soil and varieties. Rice cultivation became popular as there was a demand for rice straw as feed for cattle and horses.The foundation for rice cultivation was established from the Taisho era to the early Showa era, but it was also due to octopus labor
. Even though they worked for an average of 15 hours a day, there was no money left.The wages they had advertised at 2 yen or 2.50 yen a day were actually 1 yen a day, of which
50 sen was taken out for meals, and the straw sandals needed for other work. Tabi for rainy days, daily necessities such as tenugui and tissue paper, and luxury goods such as sweets, alcohol, and cigarettes.Tako were unable to go out and had to pay higher prices than the rest of the world.It
Is well known for being made with octopus labor. One example of this is the Sekihoku Main Line’s Jomon Tunnel. Construction began in 1912 in the 45th year of the Meiji era. The tunnel, which was approximately 347 meters above sea level and 507 meters in length,
Was dug over three years and opened in 1914, the 3rd year of the Taisho era. Construction period It is locally famous for the gruesome octopus labor that killed more than 100 people, and ghost stories related to octopus labor have been reported
For some time.An octopus that disobeyed the supervisor’s instructions was bludgeoned to death with a shovel. Legend has it that human pillars were erected inside the tunnel for the sake of peace, but after the war, in 1970, more than 50 human bones believed to be victims were discovered near the tunnel pit, and in
The same year. The remains of a worker whose skull was damaged during construction work to expand the shelter inside the tunnel were discovered inside the wall, and it became clear that the legend of the human pillar was true. I didn’t know where it was, but the tunnel created by octopus labor
Is actually still in use today.The octopuses, who were overworked even more than the cows and horses, tried to escape.At night, the hut was locked from the outside. During the day, I took advantage of the guard and ran away while I was working.The
Guards chased me on horses and bicycles.Also, in every octopus room there was a dog so large that it could be mistaken for a bear, but it was a Tosa dog or a shepherd. I tracked him down. The key to running away was the first week after he entered the octopus room. His
Physical strength was weakening day by day due to overwork and malnutrition, so he ran away before that happened. However, even if he ran away, he didn’t have any knowledge of the area, so he was quickly caught. If they ran away to the mountains,
They would be attacked by bears and lost. If they ran to the river, they would be swallowed up by the muddy current, making it difficult to survive. If they were caught, they would be lynched as a demonstration, or beaten by other octopuses, and buried in the ground with only their heads exposed.
The fugitives were brutally treated, including being forced to step on and kick other octopuses, smoked with pine needles, burned at the stake, stripped naked, sprayed with alcohol, and fed to mosquitoes and horseflies.They thought prison would be better, so they sent them to prison. Some people stopped killing their co-workers just to
Go to prison, and they told me they wanted to go to prison.If I did it in the octopus room, I would be lynched, so I did it in front of the police officer when he came.I did it in the most flashy way possible to avoid being taken away.
Most of the octopuses were tricked into being brought here, but there were also criminals who volunteered to use them as cover and professionals who crossed from one site to another, known as migratory earthworks . Some of the Watari Dokus escaped from the octopus room and received a bounty from the octopus broker.
Watari and the tempter worked together as a group, and the broker introduced another octopus to the octopus room, which had run out of people after Watari ran away. I got some money and gave a prize to
Watari, who ran away from the octopus room.When Watari ran away, I worked hard to make him trust me, and when he was no longer being watched, he suddenly disappeared.Octopuses who are usually unfamiliar with the area They ran away along railroads and roads, along rivers, so
They could easily be caught if they were caught ahead of them, but when they crossed, they ran into bushes where horses couldn’t follow them, climbed a high hill, and waited until their pursuers gave up and returned before running away . When he got even stronger, he told
The on-site supervisor that he was going to run away, so if he could come after me, he should come after me.I told the other octopuses that I would make the on-site supervisor chase me, so if he chased me, they should run away.The on-site supervisor said that many octopuses run away. To avoid this,
I couldn’t chase it with more than one person, and if I did it with one or two people, I might get hit back, so I gave up on it.The octopus successfully escaped from the octopus room, and went to nearby houses to ask for food or steal food from the residents. In addition,
Some of the migratory earthworkers made octopuses for a living.After joining the octopus room, they worked hard and completed their quotas within a week of being physically strong and were promoted to the middle-class position. I was assigned an easy job and worked until the expiration of my employment period.The
Octopus’ labor was called rework, and when the employment period expired, the octopus was exempted from work for a month and was allowed to play in red-light districts and restaurants for a few days before contracting again. This was usually done to get the octopus re-employed, but it is said that
Octopuses who made a living by working went to red-light districts and restaurants to extend their contracts.For some people, octopus work was a place where they could make a living. However, these octopuses were only a minority, and the majority of the octopuses were brought in through deception.The
Methods of recruitment were individuals pimping the octopuses and handing them over to the recruitment agency, and the recruitment agency systematically deceiving them. There were cases where people were imprisoned and transported to the site.Pimps used clever words to trick people in downtown areas and took them to the companies of recruitment agents and
Received referral fees.There were recruitment agencies in every city, and people who hung out in parks and amusement parks. People who come to fairs and festivals, people who play in Yoshiwara and other places of entertainment, people who stay at cheap hotels, people who come to employment agencies, and other notable people are approached and
Brought to a recruitment agency in hopes of finding a good job where they can have fun and earn money. There are students and intellectuals who have graduated from university in Tatako, and they work
In Hokkaido, which is large and has many ranches, and where you can get paid 2.50 yen a day if you lie down and watch over cows and horses in a scenic area . He was a man who had been deceived by being told that
There was no such good job available for 10 hours a day.When he went to listen to his story, he was shown to a room and climbed up a ladder to the second floor, where the ladder was taken down and when
All the people were together, he was told that there was no such thing as food. He was sent to Hokkaido with a stamp stamped on a loan document stating that he had borrowed money for his travel expenses.It seems that there was a lot of octopus fishing in Hokkaido, but a pimp
Took him to an octopus shop. I spend a night or two with alcohol and women.I call out to people who are hanging out in front of the station, at the boat dock, in the park, or in the entertainment area, and I
Beg them to stay at my inn, and I bring them in, and I listen to them kindly talk about their lives. He sympathized with them and reassured them that if they didn’t have enough money for the accommodation, he reassured them that they would pay for it, invited them to a movie, and
Ended up killing them with alcohol and women, then charged them a hefty amount for the entertainment, or when they passed out, made them put their thumbprints on them and sold them to the police. The trick was to threaten to expose the fishermen and then make a compromise plan
To get them to agree, saying that they were not without work opportunities. Migrant workers who came to Hokkaido were sometimes deceived, and some worked to help with the herring fishing industry, which was popular at the time, and the length of their employment was limited. On my way back
To my hometown, I believed the tout’s words that there was a cheap hotel to stay at, but when I stayed there, I was charged a high price for the hotel, took on debt, and was sold. At that time, the octopus was discriminated against by the surrounding residents.The
Residents saw the octopus as stupid and worthless human waste.If parents and teachers were lazy with their children, they would become like octopuses.If they were unfilial to their parents, they would become octopuses.Parents He told them that he would become an octopus if he didn’t listen to what he said,
And told them not to go near the octopus because he had an ex-convict.As a result, those who had experienced octopuses and those who had hid them were unable to voice their concerns, and the actual situation of octopus labor was unclear. It is said that it was not well known to the general public.Was
There a large proportion of the octopus labor that was carried out in Hokkaido from the Meiji era to the post-war period ? The number of Hokkaido earthworks in 1920 in 1920 that was on display at the Hokkaido Museum There were 20,357 people.I don’t think all of them were octopuses, but of those,
210 people died and 2,797 people died from injuries and illnesses.According to the census of 1919, the population at that time was 5,596,3053 people, so 2,749 people died. One out of every 20,000 people who do civil engineering work in Hokkaido gets injured or gets sick, and in some cases , dies.
Looking at this number, it cannot be said that the proportion of octopuses in Hokkaido is large. However , if you look at Japan as a whole, I don’t think the percentage of octopuses is small.As a reference,
The number of clay craftsmen recruited by prefecture in 1911, which was in the museum, was in the top 20, with Hokkaido having 6565 people and Aomori. There were 1,754 people in Akita, 1,712 in Tokyo, 957 in Iwate, 883 in Miyagi, and 878 in Fukushima, for a total of about 20,000 people.I
Don’t know how many of these were octopuses, but I think there were quite a few . Incidentally, it is said that the octopus labor that was carried out at the hydroelectric power generation works in Inawashiro and the Kinugawa River and at the Ashio Copper Mine was extreme.Octopus
Labor was also carried out under large capital in Korea, Manchuria, and Sakhalin, so the total number of octopus labors cannot be said to be small. It is thought that the number of octopuses was not that large.As a side note, it is believed that most of the octopuses were deceived, but
Some were forced to flee due to hardships in life . As I have introduced, the development of Hokkaido was carried out through the migration of samurai, tonden soldiers, group migration from rural areas, prison labor, and octopus room labor.Of
These, the largest number of people who immigrated to Hokkaido were single people.Most of them were single people . They were engaged in agriculture, and they also worked in fishing, commerce, industry, mining, and civil engineering, but it is possible that those who could not survive there migrated to Tako.Also, people migrated in
Groups and gave up on cultivating farmland because they did not succeed. It is thought that the families of the guards ran away at night because they were tired of their families and the prison, and some of them later became separated and became octopuses.There is no way to know how many there were, but
It is certain that Hokkaido’s infrastructure was improved through octopus labor. The development of Hokkaido had a dark history , as expressed in the saying that there were as many victims as there were railroad ties.That’s all for this video.Thank you for watching this far.Impressions, opinions, and suggestions are all welcome. Please feel
Free to comment if you have any. It will be helpful to other viewers, and I will learn from being exposed to other opinions . If you would like, please feel free to leave a comment. Thank you for watching.
北海道開拓の歴史の3回目はタコ部屋労働をご紹介します。
過酷な囚人労働により開かれた北海道の開拓は、その後タコ部屋労働に取って替わられました。
タコ労働は暴力の支配の下、強制的に長時間低賃金で土工夫を働かせるもので、囚人労働並みに悲惨でした。
北海道のインフラの一部はタコ労働により発展し、北海道の開拓はタコ労働抜きには語れません。
タコ労働は北海道に限らず日本の各地で行われ、近代日本の一面を表しているものとも言えます。
今回はそんなタコ労働について、当時の時代背景とともにお話します。
※動画内の写真はイメージです
#北海道の歴史 #北海道開拓 #タコ部屋労働 #リアルカイジ #常紋トンネル
目次
0:00 イントロ
1:19 お断り
2:03 タコ部屋労働の概略 タコ労働と言われる所以
3:52 タコ労働が始まった明治という時代 囚人労働の代替、大資本の開拓
7:04 タコ部屋労働の実態 暴力、ヒエラルキー、長時間低賃金労働
12:42 逃亡者への処罰 見せしめに受けるリンチ
14:11 猛者 渡り土工 脱走のプロ、タコ部屋からタコ部屋へ渡るプロ
16:30 勧誘の手口 ポン引き、タコ釣り、
19:04 差別されていたタコ
19:38 タコ労働の割合は多かったのか 各地で行われたタコ労働
23:15 出典
■前回の動画
北海道開拓の歴史Ⅰ苦難に満ちた士族の移住・屯田兵・農村からの団体移住【音声解説】
北海道開拓の歴史Ⅱ枕木の数だけ犠牲者が出た囚人労働【音声解説】