PATLIAN I O M UN
MODRIINERAGEMWO R LD H

O ND I AL ••ITUnited Nations
Educational, Scientiﬁc andCultural Organization

E • P A T R IM O

Tomioka Silk Milland Related Sites
inscribed on the World
Heritage List in 2014

Uniting the world through silk

Tomioka Silk Milland
Related Sites
富岡製糸場と絹産業遺産群

Publication:February 2019
Publisher: World Heritage Division,
Gunma Prefectural Government
1-1-1 Ote-machi, Maebashi City,
Gunma Prefecture
TEL: +81
27-226-2328（0）
http://worldheritage.pref.gunma.jp/Silk Heritage of Gunma

Kinumeguri : Navigating Gunmaʼ s silk heritage sites
This app is designed to help you have fun
while visiting Gunmaʼ s silk heritage sites,some of which include World Heritage sites
and Japan Heritage sites.

Image courtesy: p4 bottom left, p9 East cocoon warehouse , Tomioka City / p10 middle, Gunma prefectural Library
p13 above left, Fujioka City Board of Education / p15 above right, Shimonita Town.

Uniting the world through silk
Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites

Geography“Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites” is an ensemble of heritage related to the modernsilk industry, which contributed technological innovation that achieved mass production ofhigh-quality raw silk and technological interchange between Japan and the world. Silk wasconsidered a rare fiber that was produced in limited amounts and only available to theprivileged classes. The mass-production technology developed by Japan brought silk tothe ordinary people of the world, further enriching lifestyles and culture. Tomioka Silk Milland 3 sites related to sericulture (Tajima Yahei Sericulture Farm, Takayama-sha
Sericulture School, and Arafune Cold Storage) are important testimonies to that story.

Located in the center of Japan’ s sericultural region“ Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites” is located in Gunma
Prefecture, which is in the center of the main island of Japan, Honshu.
In times past, the sericultural region was spread throughout central
Honshu, and sericulture, silk reeling, and textile manufacturing
flourished in Gunma Prefecture from the Edo Period. Tomioka Silk Millwas constructed in a location where a large supply of cocoons could
be procured.
Fukushina Pref.

Niigata Pref.

Gunma Pref.
Tokyo

Nagano Pref.

1 Tomioka Silk Mill
2 Tajima Yahei Sericulture Farm3 Takayama-sha Sericulture School
4 Arafune Cold Storage

Tochigi Pref.

MaebashiTakasaki

4132

Saitama Pref.

0203

Chronology of Silk

History of Silk Industry

Silk was first produced in China before theChristian era and in time reached Japan andEurope. Machine reeling started in the 19th
centur y in Europe where the Industrial
Revolution had a head start, but a shortagein raw materials arose due to the diffusion ofsilkworm diseases. Around that time, Japan
had opened its doors to the world and wasimpor ting machine-reeling technology.
Tomioka Silk Mill was built in 1872 as amodel factory, and the technology useds p r e a d t h r o u g h o u t J a p a n . M o r e o ve r,
technological innovation in sericulture
occurred domestically, resulting in thesuccessful mass production of the raw
materials, cocoons. Continual innovation insilk reeling also took place, and in the early
20th century Japan became the world’ s top
exporter of raw silk, making the luxury fiberof silk more accessible. Furthermore, afterWWII, Japan succeeded in the automationof raw silk production, and automatic reelingmachines were exported all over the world.
The sericulture and silk-reeling technologies
developed in Japan still support the global
silk industry today.

Period3000 BC
3rd century BC

Globally

15th century
16th century
17th century

Sericulture/Silk Reeling

Sericulture/silk-reeling technology are
introduced from China
Sericulture/silk-reeling technology are
introduced to the Byzantine Empire
Late: Cocoons/raw silk/silk production
extends from Kyushu to Southern Tohoku

8th century
13th century
14th century

Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites

Raw silk and silk fabrics are introduced
to the Roman EmpireAround AD
6th centuryIn Japan

Silk production begins in China

Sericulture/silk-reeling technology are
introduced to Northern Italy
Sericulture/silk-reeling technology are
introduced to France
Sericultural/silk-reeling regions areformed mainly in Italy/France

Raw silk is produced from cocoons made by silkworms (silkworm moth larvae)that feed on mulberry leaves. A series of activities that includes growing mulberry,raising silkworms and harvesting cocoons is called sericulture. Silk reelingproduces raw silk from these cocoons. A single thread of raw silk is created fromseveral to dozens of cocoon filaments. This raw silk is further processed, dyed
and woven to create silk goods.

High - grade silk go o ds are primarily
imported from China.
Raw silk imports increase due to tradewith European trading vessels
1685: Raw silk imports from China arerestricted
1713: Sericultural regions are formed inCentral Honshu due to the shogunate
government's promotion of domestic raw
silk, and raw silk production ﬂourishes

18th century
Early: Silk reeling factories using steamboilers are built in France
18 4 0 s：Pe b r i n e d is eas e s p r ea ds i nEurope, and silkworm eggs and raw silk
are sought after in Asia
19th century

The sericulture and silk-reeling technologies developedin Japan still support the global silk industry today.

1859: Ports are opened to foreign trade and1863: The farmhouse at Tajima Farm is built
raw silk exports begin (mainly to Europe).

Sericulture

Silk reeling

TextilesRearing silkworms on
mulberry leaves until
they produce cocoons.

Reeling out raw silkfrom dried cocoons.

Dying and weaving tocreate silk fabrics.

1860： A machine-reeling factory isbuilt in Shanghai, China
1872: The government establishes Tomioka
Silk Mill as a modern model factory; machine 1872: Tomioka Silk Mill is built
reeling spreads in Japanes
1884: America becomes the no. 1 destination 1884: Takayama-sha company is establishedfor raw silk exports
1891: The farmhouse at Takayama-sha is built
Early: Commercialization of sericulture in summer and fall
1906: The F1 hybrid silkworm is developed
1905: Arafune Cold Storage No.1 is built
1909：Japan becomes the world's top exporter of raw silk

Silkworm Eggs

From 1912: Tomioka Silk Mill, Tajima Farm,
Takayama-sha, and Arafune Cold Storage work

1914: Distribution of F1 hybrids to farms together to outsource raising of foreign-bred
beginssilkworms and hybrids; later, they also undertake

Automatic reelingmachines

Rawsilk

F1 hybrid silkworm egg production

20th century

1920s: The automatic cocoon dr yer, 1 9 2 4 : To m i o k a S i l k M i l l a d o p t s t h e
19 2 0 s : D e m a n d f o r r a w s i l k f o r Minorikawa-st yle multi- ends reeling
Minorikawa-style multi-ends reeling machinestockings increases sharply in America machine are put into practical use
1927: Takayama-sha is closed

Silkworms eating
mulberry leaves

1930s: Raw silk from Japan comprises 1935: Operation of Arafune Cold Storage
80% of the global market
ceases1952: Automatic reeling machines are 1952: Tomioka Silk Mill adopts the K8
automatic reeling machine
successfully put into practical use
1960: Tajima Farm/Takayama Farm engage
in sericulture until around this time
Late: Raw silk production ﬂourishes in Late: Automatic reeling machines areChina and Brazil due to technology
1987: Operations at Tomioka Silk Mill cease
exported to other countries
transfer from Japan04

Cocoons spun bysilkworms

Technical term

F1 hybrid: A cross-breed silkworm born from a parent that
produces a cocoon of superior quality and a parent that
produces a cocoon superior in volume will make a cocoon ofboth good quality and volume. It was the Japanese scientist,
Kametaro Toyama who proved that F1 hybrid silkworms
inherit the superior characteristics of their parents. The
practical application of this principle dramatically increased
raw silk production volume in Japan.
05About World Heritage
World heritage sites are natural and/or culturalproper ties that have been registered on the World
Heritage List compiled by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO). They are properties belonging to humanitythat possess outstanding universal value exceeding
national and ethnic boundaries that should be shared.
Cultural heritage is prescribed in evaluation criteria (i)–(vi). A world heritage site must fulfill at least one of thosecriteria.

Tomioka Silk

Technological interchange and technological innovation
brought about developments in the global silk industry
resulting in popularization of silk.
Proposed value as a World Heritage“Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites” is an excellent example of the mutual
exchange of industrial technology between Japan and other countries that
resulted in the growth of the silk industry through the realization of mass
production of high- qualit y raw silk. Japan developed machine-reelingtechnology adopted from Western Europe and promoted technologicalinnovation in sericulture, and those technologies spread to other countries
ar oun d th e wor l d. Tomi oka Silk M ill, Tajima Yahei Ser i c ul ture Far m,Takayama-sha Sericulture School, and Arafune Cold Storage became center
stage for technological innovation in the various processes involved in raw silk
production, and these innovations significantly impacted all of Japan througheducation, publication, and trade.
Based on this, “Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites” is believed to be aproperty with outstanding universal value required in a world heritage that fulfills
evaluation criteria (ii) to exhibit an important interchange of human values ondevelopments in architecture, technology, etc., and evaluation criteria (iv) to be
an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technologicalensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history.

iculture Schoolge

old Stora

Arafune CWorldMillThe development and dissemination ofhigh-quality cocoons through mutual
cooperation.

Tajima Yahei Sericulture Farm

06

Takayama-sha Ser

The 4 sites comprised of “Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites”
are each places of both technological innovation and technologicalinterchange through cooperation. In particular, when Tomioka Silk
Mill strove to improve cocoons to ensure mass quantities ofhigh-quality cocoons, the Tajima Farm, Takayama-sha, andArafune Cold Storage worked together for the development anddissemination of superior species, including test rearing, silkworm
egg production, breeding instruction, and silkworm egg storage.

Export of raw silk
Automatic machine reeling technology
Modern sericultural technology

Machine reeling technology

Storing silkworm egg commission
Development anddissemination of improved
species of silkworms

ArafuneCold Storage

Tomioka
Silk Mill

Storing silkworm
egg commission

Exclusive sales contractfor cocoons

Technicalcooperation
Storing silkworm
egg commission

Development anddissemination of improved
species of silkworms

Tajima Yahei
Sericulture FarmDevelopment anddissemination of improved
species of silkworms

Takayama-sha
Sericulture School

Farmhouse equipped withventilation system

07