History of the Foundation
April 1892

August 1905

March 1940

May 1942

July 1952

The Sericultural Association of Japan was established as a voluntary organization.
Purpose: Improvement and development of the silk industry
Task: Investigation, expansion of overseas sales-channels, communication among silk relatedcompanies, competitive exhibition, commendation, recommendation, publication,workshop, etc.
Organization: Membership system, establish prefectural branches
The Sericultural Association of Japan was approved as an incorporated association by the government
with an honor to have reverential acceptance of His Imperial Highness Prince Fushiminomiya Sadanaruas the first president.
The Silk Science Research Institute was established by private donations and approved as foundation by
the government. Under the change in the demand of silk due to the invention of nylon and the war,
research on silk and silk products was strongly requested.

April 1974

The Kodaira Branch of the Research Institute was moved to Amimachi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture,and renamed the Institute of Silkworm Genetics and Breeding..

July 1987

April 1992

An honor to have reverential acceptance of His Imperial Highness Prince Masahito Hitachinomiya as the6th President.
The headquarter building was rebuilt.
The building of the Silk Science Research Institute (Hyakunincho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) was rebuilt andnamed “Sanken Building”.
Commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Foundation.

December 1999 The Institute of Silkworm Genetics and Breeding was renamed to the Institute of Sericulture with theexpansion of research area.
June 2005

An honor to have a royal visit of their Majesties the Emperor and Empress to the Silk Science ResearchInstitute.

April 2012

Commemorated the 120th anniversary of the Foundation.

December 2012 Took over the business of the Japan Silk Industry Association upon its dissolution
April 2014

Due to the reform of the public interest corporation system, the naming of the type of organization waschanged to the general incorporated foundation (supervised by the Cabinet Office).

April 2021

Created The Institute of Sericulture and Silk Science through the integration of the Institute of Sericulture
and the Silk Science Research Institute.

Overview of the tasks of headquarters
This coat of arms
represents the mulberryleaf and the cocoon.

The Dainippon Silk Foundation
https://silk.or.jp

1

PurposeThe purpose of the Dainippon Silk Foundation is to conduct research and development of basic scienceand applied technology related to sericulture and silk, and to promote related science and technology,
as well as to promote the improvement and development of the sericulture and silk industry, andthereby to contribute to the improvement and development of society and culture related to sericultureand silk.

23Vice Chairman
Executive Director

Planning and Coordination Dept
Silk Industry Promotion Dept
Japan Silk Center

Board of Trustees
Board of Directors
Board of Auditors

4Headquarters

Institute ofSericulture andSilk Science

The Dainippon
Silk Foundation

要覧

General Affairs Dept
Research Dept

Support for sericulture and silk industry alliances
Subsidies are given to tie-up groups in which all parties from upstream to downstream are involved
and work together to produce purely domestic silk products.

General Affairs Dept

The President

Research grants for science and technology of sericulture and silk
Research topics on sericulture and silk are publicly solicited and subsidized every fiscal year.

Organization Chart

ChairmanCommendation for distinguished persons in the sericulture and silk industry
Awards are given every fiscal year to those who have contributed to the promotion and developmentof the sericulture and silk industry.

Establishment Approved on March 16, 1940

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Ministry of Education were designated as supervising
Ministries.
Start the Teimei commemorative project. The Kodaira Sericultural Site of Silk Science Research Institutewas renamed the Kodaira Branch of the Research Institute.

April 1983

Name

The new foundation, the Dainippon Silk Foundation was established by the organizational merger of theSericultural Association of Japan and the Silk Science Research Institute. The new foundation took overthe business of the Sericultural Association of Japan..

April 1953

April 1981

Outline of the Foundation

Dissemination and exchange of information on sericulture and silk
Information on sericulture and silk is disseminated. In addition, the exchange meetings for the people
involved in the use of sericulture and silk are held.

5Exhibition and promotion of silk at the Japan Silk Center
The Japan Silk Center has been established for the promotion of silk and silk products. The silkproducts are sold and exhibited there.

6

Management of the Purely Domestic Silk MarkThe institute issues and manages the mark of purely domestic silk products made from raw silk reeledfrom domestic cocoons, woven and processed in Japan.

7

Publication
Bulletin and research reports related to sericulture and silk are published.

Address

TOCHIGI

8Headquarters

Training and exchange for overseas sericultural technicians
If requested and approved, trainees from overseas are accepted.

GUNMA
IBARAGI

6F, Sanshi-Kaikan, 1-9-4
Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
100-0006, Japan

9Institute of Sericultureand Silk Science

Boardroom/ General Affairs Dept
TEL. 03-3214-3411
FAX. 03-3214-3415

Management of the Foundation

SAITAMA

Headquarters

Planning and Coordination Dept/Sericulture and Silk Industry
Promotion
TEL. 03-3214-3500
FAX. 03-3214-3415

TOKYOCHIBAKANAGAWA

Purely domestic
silk markInstitute of Sericulture and Silk Science1053 Iikura, Amimachi,
Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki
300-0324, JapanTEL. 029-889-1771
FAX.029-889-2356

Awards Ceremony for distinguished sericultural persons(in the presence of His Imperial Highness the President)

https://silk.or.jp
R6.8.550

Promotion of purely domestic silk products

Silkworm Rearing

Institute of sericulture
and silk science

The Institute has young silkworm rearing room andlarge-scale silkworm rearing room, which is capableof rearing up to 200 thousand silkworms in a single
silkworm season (about one month). Three hectaresof on-site mulberry ﬁeld supply annually 40 tons offresh mulberry leaves. Also, the sample garden of
144 mulberry varieties is located in the ﬁeld.

The Institute of Sericulture and Silk Science,
established in 2021 through the integration ofTests on cocoon and silk quality
Evaluation of cocoon quality is essential for theselection of varieties that produce high quality
cocoons and for the maintenance of their lines. In
order to investigate whether the quality of cocoonsof each variety stored at the Institute has been
properly maintained over generations, the qualities
of cocoons are evaluated using a silk reeling testingmachine. Also, the properties of raw silk are tested
with the specialized technology and equipment
based on its own inspection procedure. Those tests
are also provided to the public for a fee.

Production of Silkworm Eggs
The Institute produces about 4 million eggs (160boxes*) /year of silkworm breeds which aredeveloped by its laboratory and Kanebo. Most of
those eggs are the original strain of eggs and aresupplied to the eggs production companies which
supply eggs for the nationwide sericultural farmers
and companies. Thus, the Institute plays animportant part in developing the sericultural industryin Japan. Thorough mother-moth inspection isconducted in the production of these silkworm eggs.
*25,000 eggs per box.

the Institute of Sericulture and the Silk Science
Research Institute, is a unique private research

Silkworm breed development and genetic resource conservation
The institute holds about 200 silkworm genetic
resources as breeding materials for the developmentof new silkworm breeds. By combining genetic
analysis of these silkworms with skillful breeding andselection techniques, it has developed uniquesilkworm breeds such as " Platina Boy," "Orihime,""Tama Koishi," and "Ryokken 2 gou" to meet various
consumer needs not only in the garment industry
but also in the medical and cosmetic ﬁelds. Inaddition, some of the company's genetic resources
are rare and valuable strains. As a preservation
method for such strains, it has developed along-term cryopreservation method for ovaries andsperm using liquid nitrogen.

Technical Assistance and Training
To maintain the traditional sericultural techniques, theInstitute actively provides technical assistance tosericultural farmers and training programs fornewcomers in Japan. In order to meet the new
bio-technologies, the Institute is accumulating
technologies for rearing transgenic silkworms. Inaddition, it is also researching silk materials from theviewpoint of silk consumption science, thoroughcollaborative research with domestic science
universities, and disseminating some of the results ofthis research to consumers through training programs.

institute which conducts research all throughgenetic resources, silkworm breeding,sericulture, mulberry cultivation, silk

Mulberry feeding to silkworms

production, and silk materials, needed by thesilk industry, with cooperation of public

Cocoon quality survey

research institutes and universities as needed.

Training for sericulture farmaers

Mating and egg raising

As well as providing silkworm eggs, the InstituteRare type of silkworms

provides technical assistance to farmers andconducts requested tests on cocoon and silkquality.

Mounting using rotary cocooning frame

Model HR automatic reeling machine
Silkworm moth egg-laying

Various type of cocoons

Genetics preservation
with liquid nitrogen

Breeding of transgenic silkworm