Rickshaw

This article is about runner-pulled rickshaws. See also Cycle rickshaw and Auto rickshaw

Japanese rickshaws c.1897

Rickshaws (or rickshas) are a mode of human-powered transport: a runner draws a two-wheeled cart which seats one or two persons. Rickshaws are commonly made with bamboo. The word rickshaw came from Asia where they were mainly used as means of transportation for the social elite. In recent times the use of rickshaws has been discouraged or outlawed in many countries due to concern for the welfare of rickshaw workers^[1].

Runner-pulled rickshaws have mainly been replaced by cycle rickshaws and auto rickshaws. The term "rickshaw" is today commonly used for those vehicles as well.

The word "rickshaw" originates from the Japanese word jinrikisha (人力車, 人 jin = human, 力 riki = power or force, 車 sha = vehicle), which literally means "human-powered vehicle".

History

A Japanese court lady in a hand-pushed carriage, from Arnoldus Montanus' 1669 book. Some modern historians, however, expressed doubts as to whether the members of the Dutch embassy really saw the scene depicted.^[2]

Rickshaws were first seen in Japan around 1868, at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration. They soon became a popular mode of transportation, since they were faster than the previously used palanquins (and human labor was considerably cheaper than using horses).

The identity of the inventor remains uncertain. Some American sources give the American blacksmith Albert Tolman, who is said to have invented the rickshaw around 1848 in Worcester, Massachusetts for a missionary; others claim that Jonathan Scobie (or Jonathan Goble), an American missionary to Japan, invented the rickshaw around 1869 to transport his invalid wife through the streets of Yokohama..^[3] Other scholars think it is Izumi Yosuke, a restaurateur in Tokyo in 1869. None of these dates, however, are as early as the French sources.

Les Deux Carrosses by Claude Gillot, 1707

Still others say the rickshaw was designed by an American Baptist minister in 1888. This is undoubtedly incorrect, for an 1877 article by a The New York Times correspondent in Tokyo stated that the "jin-riki-sha, or man-power carriage" was in current popular use, and was probably invented by an American in 1869 or 1870.

Japanese sources often credit Izumi Yosuke, Suzuki Tokujiro, and Takayama Kosuke, who are said to have invented rickshaws in 1868, inspired by the horse carriages that had been introduced to the streets of Tokyo shortly before. Starting in 1870, the Tokyo government issued a permission to build and sell rickshaws to these three men; the seal of one of these inventors was also required on every license to operate a rickshaw.

By 1872, some 40,000 rickshaws were operating in Tokyo; they soon became the chief form of public transportation in Japan. (Powerhouse Museum, 2005; The Jinrikisha story, 1996)

Around 1880, rickshaws appeared in India, first in Simla and then, 20 years later, in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Here they were initially used by Chinese traders to transport goods; in 1914 the Chinese applied for permission to use rickshaws to transport passengers. Soon after, rickshaws appeared in many big cities in Southeast Asia; pulling a rickshaw was often the first job for peasants migrating to these cities.

Country overview

Bangladesh

Bangladeshi rickshaw pullers are mostly from the villages. Because of less job opportunities, people from the villages migrate to Dhaka, Sylhet and Chittagong to pull rickshaws.

Rickshaw man Omar Ali is Bangla's music star winner in the television "Pop Idol"-style talent show ^[4].

China

Confucius (transported in a wheeled cart) and children; from a 1680 children's book (Xiao er lun)

Manual rickshaws were first used in China during the late 1800s,

Rickshaw transport was an important element in urban development in 20th century China, both in terms of its provision of transport to the consumers of the service and for the employment it provided (and migration it facilitated) for workers. Rickshaw Beijing: City, People, and Politics in the 1920 by David Strand quantifies the effect: "Sixty thousand men took as many as a half million fares a day in a city of slightly more than one million. Sociologist Li Jinghan estimated that one out of six males in the city between the ages of sixteen and fifty was a puller. Rickshaw men and their dependents made up almost 20 percent of Beijing's population." (p. 21)

Most manual rickshaws were eliminated in China after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, because they were considered a symbol of oppression to working class.

Hong Kong

Rickshaws were first imported to Hong Kong from Japan in 1874. They were a popular form of transport for many years, peaking at more than 3,000 in the 1920s. However, their popularity waned after World War II. No new licenses for rickshaws have been issued since 1975, and only a few old men—about four as of 2002—still ply their trade, mainly for tourists.

India

Kolkata rickshaw, 2004

As of 2005, the last sizeable fleet of rickshaws can be found in Kolkata (Calcutta), where the rickshaw puller union resisted prohibition. Several major streets have been closed to rickshaw traffic since 1972, and in 1982 the city seized over 12,000 rickshaws and destroyed them. In 1992, it was estimated that over 30,000 rickshaws were operating in the city, all but 6,000 of them illegally, lacking a license (no new licenses have been issued since 1945). The large majority of rickshaw pullers rent their rickshaws for a few dollars per shift. They live cheaply in hostels, trying to save money to send home. (Eide, 1993) Each dera, a mixture of a garage, repair shop, and dormitory, has a sardar that manages it. Pullers often pay around 100 rupees (around $2.50 United States dollars) per month to live in a dera.^[5] Hindu and Muslim pullers often share housing.^[6] Some pullers sleep in the streets in their rickshaws.^[6]

A rickshaw in College Street (Kolkata)

As of 2008 many of the Kolkata rickshaw pullers originate from Bihar, considered to be one of the poorest states in India.^[7]

In August 2005, the Communist government of West Bengal announced plans to completely ban rickshaws, resulting in protests and strikes of the pullers. (WebIndia, 2005)

In 2006, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, announced that rickshaws would be banned and that rickshaw pullers would be rehabilitated.^[8]

Calvin Trillin of National Geographic stated in a 2008 article that the city government has not decided how rickshaw drivers would be rehabilitated, nor has it settled on a date regarding when the government would decide. Trillin added that many high West Bengal officials made statements saying that rickshaws would be banned from 1976 to 2008.^[1]

According to Trillin, most Kolkata rickshaws serve people "just a notch above poor" who tend to travel short distances. He added that some people use rickshaws as "24 hour ambulance services," as escorts for shoppers, and as a way for businesses to transport goods. Trillin added that pullers told him that children enrolled in schools were the "steadiest" customers. Many middle class families contract with rickshaw pullers to transport their children; a rickshaw puller who transports children becomes a "family retainer."^[6] Trillin adds that some Kolkatans do not like to ride in rickshaws because they feel offended by the idea of a human pulling them, and that some of them question the government's motives on banning rickshaws. Trillin cited Rudrangshu Mukerjee, an academic who said that he does not want to be carried in a rickshaw but does not like the idea of "taking away their livelihood."^[1] Trillin adds that when Kolkata floods rickshaw business increases and prices rise. A Kolkata writer told Trillin "When it rains, even the governor takes rickshaws."^[9]

Matheran

Matheran, India is a tourist hill station near Mumbai. It is an eco-sensitive zone where motor vehicles are banned so man-pulled rickshaws are still one of the major forms of transport there.

Rickshaws are still very much common in Tamil Nadu. Rickshaws are also present in some parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.

Indonesia

Rickshaw pulled by a Chinese man, Medan, 1936

Ireland

Dublin first saw the humble rickshaw on its streets in 1994 when a rickshaw company originally based in Canada set up a fleet of 20 of the vehicles. The company builds them from tubular steel, leading Dubliners to call them the best rickshaws on account of their advertising. However, the company was actually called the original rickshaw company. The people of Dublin, both locals and tourists alike, were surprised at first to see the Far Eastern concept in Ireland. People began to use the rickshaws for getting about from pubs to pubs to clubs or for a quick ride around Temple Bar. Later that year 12 pedicab rickshaws were imported by a wine club owner named B. McDonald who started Pedicabs Ireland. A year later J. Ralf & J. Utah, former Pedicab Ireland riders, set up a small fleet of hand-pulled rickshaws called the Silver Rickshaw company. The last hand-pulled rickshaw Company was to be formed by ex-Pedicab Ireland Manager B. Wheeler. This was, in the summer of 2001, called simply The Rickshaw Co. The company quickly grew with six pedicabs added to its fleet of 12 newly built hand-pulled rickshaws. The attacks on America on 9/11 damaged the new industry and many of the companies above are no longer operating with the exception of the Silver Rickshaws.

Finland

Helsinki saw its first rickshaws in 2009 when a company decided to bring them from another town in Finland, Lappeenranta. The rental-service is located at Kaivopuisto.

Malaysia

Rickshaws were a common mode of transport in urban areas of Malaysia in the 19th and early 20th centuries until gradually replaced by cycle rickshaws.

Madagascar

Pousse-pousse in Madagascar

Rickshaws, known as pousse-pousse, are a common form of transport in a number of Malagasy cities. They are often brightly decorated.

South Africa

The many registered Zulu rickshaw pullers, with their gigantic hats and colourful clothing, are a major tourist attraction in the city of Durban. They can still be seen at the beach front.

Pakistan

Cycle rickshaws (Qinqi) and jin rickshaws have officially been outlawed in Pakistan since the late 50s/early 60s. The country remains home to a large number of auto-rickshaws. Once in Pakistan most transportation was done by horse-drawn carriages called Tongas, but more cost-effective cycle- and auto-rickshaws have now taken their place in small cities.

United States

A tourist "Ricsha" ride in Chinatown, Los Angeles, 1938

In many major cities bicycle rickshaws or pedicabs are popular alternatives to taxi cabs and public transportation.

In Los Angeles, California a rickshaw rental company operated and rented original vintage and antique hand pulled rickshaws, was the only one in the United States providing original antique hand pulled rickshaws.

Rickshaws are still present on the boardwalks of Atlantic City and Ocean City, N.J. and in some parts of New York City.

Egypt

Tuk tuks appeared in El Senbellawein in 2001 for the first time in Egypt, and in few years its numbers reached 250,000 which created a problem in traffic in many cities.Legal battle was fought to ban the tuk tuks but it failed and transport minister decided to make it up to each city to legalized it, tuk tuk is commonly used in small cities and provinces and limited in Cairo and other major cities.It costs one pound per each kilometer.

Philippines

A pedicab is pedal-powered tricycle consisting of a vinyl covered sidecar mounted to a regular bicycle frame. Pedicabs come into use when cargo is too heavy for hand-carry yet the distance to cover is too far to walk while too short or congested for motor transport. They also come in handy during the monsoon when streets quickly flood. During the summer months, along with the jeepney and the (motorized) tricycle, the open air pedicab provides pleasant relief from the heat of direct sunlight.

Pedicabs in downtown Sampaloc, Manila

Tourist attractions

Rickshaws are a tourist attraction in the Asakusa region of Tokyo; in the main temple area of Kyoto; in tourist heavy areas of Kamakura; on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong; in Vietnam on Cijin Island in Kaohsiung; in areas of London's Chinatown, Ottawa's Byward Market; in downtown Toronto; in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). Also in the centre of Durban, South Africa, they are a common sight.

Books, films, TV, Music and Modern Art

Rickshaw in a museum in Japan

• An early Rudyard Kipling story has the title The Phantom Rickshaw (1885). In it a young Englishman has a romance aboard a ship bound for India. He ends the affair and becomes engaged to another woman, causing his original love to die of a broken heart. After that, on excursions around the city of Simla, he frequently sees the ghost of the deceased driving around in her yellow-panelled rickshaw, though nobody else seems to notice the phenomenon.

• The 1936 novel Rickshaw Boy is a novel by the Chinese author Lao She about the life of a fictional Beijing rickshaw man. The English version Rickshaw Boy became a U.S. bestseller in 1945; it was an unauthorized translation that added a happy ending to the story. In 1982, the original version was made into a film of the same title.

• In the 1940s, Eddy Howard recorded a song called "The Rickety Rickshaw Man".

• The 1958 Japanese movie Muhomatsu no issho (Rickshaw Man) by Hiroshi Inagaki tells the story of a Matsugoro, a rickshaw man who becomes a surrogate father to the child of a recently widowed woman.

• The 1953 Bollywood film Do Bigha Zameen, directed by Bimal Roy, describes the fate of an impoverished farmer who becomes a rickshaw puller in Kolkata.

• In the 1992 film City of Joy (whose title refers to Kolkata), Om Puri plays a rickshaw puller, revealing the economic and emotional hardship that these underpaid workers face on a day-to-day basis.

• In the episode The Bookstore of the American sitcom Seinfeld, Kramer and Newman import rickshaws to New York City, for the purpose of running a business. They intend to employ members of the city's homeless population; however, one steals their rickshaw. The two recover the rickshaw, and Newman forces Kramer to transport him uphill, a voyage Kramer is unable to make.

• In Pearl S. Buck's 1931 novel The Good Earth, hero Wang Lung leaves his land to travel southward during a drought. He ends up in the city of Kiangsu, where he becomes a rickshaw puller in order to support his family.

• In 2006 Documentary film Men of burden Pedeling towards a Horizon Set in the city of Pondicherry, a Union Territory in South East India, the Documentary film uncovers the story of disappearing Cycle rickshaw drivers living in abject poverty.

• English graffiti artist and activist Banksy portrays a modernised representation of rickshaw in a piece where an overweight rich couple with a mobile phone (in colour) are being ferried by a young black boy and his rickshaw (in black and white).^[10]

See also

• Boda-boda
• Litter
• The Indian Autorickshaw Challenge and the Rickshaw Run, both rallies travel across India by Auto rickshaw.
• Taiwanese push car railways
• Utility cycling
• Rickshaw art

References

• Powerhouse Museum Sydney, Description of object H626, Japanese rickshaw. Accessed September 20, 2005. Contains information about the history of rickshaws.
• The Jinrikisha story, The East, November-December 1996. History of the rickshaw in Japan.
• (French) Pierre Fresnault-Deruelle, Préséances. Information on Les Deux Carrosses and vinaigrettes
• Elisabeth Eide, The coolies of Calcutta - Indian rickshaw drivers, World Press Review, Jan 1993. Describes situation of rickshaw drivers in Calcutta.
• The New York Times, September 10, 1877, p. 2 The Old and New Japan by correspondent TWK. This article, which describes rickshaw travel in 1877, including prices paid for rickshaws and labor, can be seen at http://news.quickfound.net/intl/tokyo_news.html

External links