～Tauchiguruma: The Rotary Paddy Weeder～
information
The Tauchiguruma is a clever tool invented about 100 years ago during the Meiji era to clear weeds from rice paddies. Before its invention, farmers had to crouch down in the thick mud for hours, pulling out weeds one by one by hand.
This innovative tool was created to change this backbreaking work. It features a long wooden handle with spiky iron wheels (claws) attached to the end. Farmers would stand upright while pushing the tool forward to roll the wheels smoothly between the rows of growing rice.
It brought immense relief to the farmers’ aching backs because they no longer needed to crouch. Furthermore, as the spiky wheels rolled along, they churned up the mud and buried the unwanted weeds deep under the soil. For its time, this was a revolutionary and game-changing invention that completely transformed traditional farming
