Tomioka Silk Mill

The Tomioka Silk Mill is a model mechanized silk-reeling factory established by the Meiji government in 1872 as part of Japan’s modernization efforts.

After the Meiji Restoration, the government promoted the modernization of industry and science and technology in order to place Japan on an equal footing with foreign countries. One of the main means of raising funds for this effort was the export of raw silk. To improve silk quality, increase production, and train technical instructors, the government decided to build a state-run model factory equipped with Western-style reeling machinery.

Thus, the Tomioka Silk Mill was constructed and has remained almost unchanged to this day.

▶ Purpose of Establishment and Background of the Tomioka Silk Mill

At the end of the Edo period, Japan changed its policy of national seclusion and began trade with foreign countries. At that time, raw silk was the country’s largest export. As demand increased sharply due to the rapid growth in silk exports, a problem of mass production of poor-quality silk arose. Foreign countries called for improvements in silk quality, and there were also requests for the construction of silk-reeling factories by foreign capital.

After the Meiji Restoration, the government, aiming to build a wealthy nation and strengthen its military, hurried to improve silk quality and increase production in order to earn foreign currency. However, since it was difficult for private capital to build factories at the time, the government decided to establish a state-run model factory equipped with Western-style reeling machinery.

The basic concept of this model factory consisted of three main points: first, introducing Western silk-reeling technology; second, appointing foreign experts as instructors; and third, recruiting female workers from all over the country and having those who completed their training return to their hometowns to become instructors in mechanized silk reeling.

Based on this concept, the government hired the Frenchman Paul Brunat, and under his guidance, the state-run model mechanized silk-reeling factory (the Tomioka Silk Mill) was established using Western technology.

▶ Why Tomioka Was Chosen as the Location

One of the government officials in charge of the construction plan for the Tomioka Silk Mill, Junzo Otaka, together with Paul Brunat and others, surveyed the regions of Musashi, Kozuke, and Shinano, and decided on Tomioka in Kozuke for the following reasons:

1. Sericulture was flourishing around Tomioka, making it possible to secure good-quality cocoons, the raw material for raw silk.
2. A large enough site for factory construction could be obtained.
3. Water needed for silk reeling could be secured using existing irrigation channels.
4. Coal, the fuel for the steam engine, could be mined in nearby Takasaki and Yoshii.
5. Local residents agreed to the construction of a factory under foreign guidance.

▶ Changes in the Tomioka Silk Mill

The Tomioka Silk Mill was a large-scale mechanized silk-reeling factory built by the government. Its reeling mill, about 140 meters long, was lined with 300 reeling basins, making it the largest silk-reeling factory in the world at the time.

Construction of the Tomioka Silk Mill began in 1871 based on a plan by the French instructor Paul Brunat. The main buildings were completed in July 1872, and operations began on October 4 of the same year. In the reeling mill, which extracted raw silk from cocoons, female trainees from across Japan worked, and full-scale mechanized silk reeling began.

After 1876, when the foreign instructors left, the factory was operated entirely by Japanese personnel. Although management during the government-run period was not always profitable, the high-quality raw silk produced there was highly valued overseas.

When the original goals of spreading mechanized silk reeling and training technicians had been achieved, the factory was sold to the Mitsui family in 1893 as part of the government’s policy of privatizing state-owned factories. It was later transferred to the Hara partnership in 1902 and attracted attention for the mass production of high-quality raw silk using the Minokawa-style multi-thread reeling machine, as well as for the standardization of silkworm eggs. In 1938, it became independent as Tomioka Silk Mill Co., Ltd., but in 1939 it was merged into Katakura Silk Spinning Co., Ltd. (present-day Katakura Industries Co., Ltd.), then Japan’s largest silk company. After World War II, automatic reeling machines were introduced, and it continued to play an active role as a silk-reeling factory for many years. However, along with the decline of Japan’s silk industry, operations finally ceased in March 1987. Even after the shutdown, most of the buildings were carefully preserved by Katakura Industries Co., Ltd., and in September 2005 all of the structures were donated to Tomioka City, which has since been responsible for their preservation and management.

In July 2005, it was designated a National Historic Site; in July 2006, the main buildings were designated Important Cultural Properties; and in June 2014, it was inscribed on the World Heritage List. Furthermore, in December of the same year, the Reeling Mill, the West Cocoon Warehouse, and the East Cocoon Warehouse were designated National Treasures.

▶ The Tomioka Silk Mill Today

Today, the Tomioka Silk Mill is owned by Tomioka City, which is responsible for its preservation, restoration, maintenance, and utilization.

As part of its use, the site is open to the public, with the aim of conveying the history and cultural value of the Tomioka Silk Mill and helping people understand the significance of preserving it for future generations as a precious heritage site. Visits to the Tomioka Silk Mill mainly focus on viewing the exterior, and since the history of 115 years of operation and its value as an industrial heritage site are not easy to understand just from the exterior, guided tours by interpreters and audio guide devices are available.

For preservation, restoration, and effective utilization, based on the preservation management plans and utilization plans formulated in 2008 and 2012, the city plans to carry out preservation and restoration work together with development and utilization over the next 30 years under the guidance and advice of a committee of experts and in consultation with related organizations.

▶ Ei Wada (formerly Yokota)

She was the daughter of Kazuma Yokota, a samurai from Matsushiro Town in Nagano Prefecture, and a woman who worked as a trained female worker who learned technology at the Tomioka Silk Mill. She entered the Tomioka Silk Mill in 1873 and eagerly learned mechanized silk-reeling techniques. She later served as a technical instructor at the Seijo Village Silk Mill in her hometown (later Rokkosha).

A recollection of Yokota Ei’s life at the Tomioka Silk Mill in 1907 was published as Tomioka Nikki (The Tomioka Diary).