KAIKO: Sericulture of the Imperial Household, Ancient Textiles from the Shosoin Repository, and Exchanges of Silk between Japan and France
From Wednesday, February 19, 2014 to Saturday, April 5, 2014
Sundays and Mondays
Tuesday to Saturday 12:00 - 19:00
Thursdays 12:00 - 20:00
Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris
In 1859, after a long period of national isolation, Japan opened the port of Yokohama to foreign trade. As raw silk was an important export product, the silk industry became one of Japan's principal industries. To promote the silk industry, Empress Dowager Shoken began raising silkworms in the Imperial Household in 1871. That was the beginning of the Imperial sericulture, and the tradition has been handed down through the successive Empresses of the Meiji Era (1868-1912), the Taisho Era (1912-1926) and the Showa Era (1926-1989). In spite of the drastic decline of sericulture in Japan, Her Majesty the Empress has continued to carry on the practice for 25 years in the Heisei Era, and continues to do so to this day, as one of the important Imperial traditions.
Although silk is no longer the important export product that it used to be, and the Imperial sericulture does not have the function of promoting the silk industry, Her Majesty carries on the tradition to this day as She has been deeply moved by, and empathizes with, the devotion of those who continue to preserve this cultural tradition in Japan. It was Her wish that the methods of sericulture cultivated with unceasing effort over the years by the Japanese craftsmen be preserved for at least another generation so that the technique of creating beautiful silk from silkworms will not disappear completely from Japan. In acknowledgement of Her Majesty's wish, at the Momijiyama Imperial Cocoonery, essentially the same manual operations that used to be conducted by silk growers in Japan during the season, over a two-month period in the spring or early summer, are still carried out every year. Along with a group of five workers, including one head worker, the Empress takes time out of Her official duties to participate in nearly all aspects of the process.
In 1990, the Empress expressed a desire to continue cultivating an old type of silkworm that was on the verge of being discontinued. With only half the thickness of contemporary silk, the thread produced by this species turned out to play an indispensable role in the restoration of ancient textiles, an important cultural asset of Japan.
At the Imperial Cocoonery, a purely domestic silkworm, the koishimaru, was cultivated along with other species which were gradually improved. Although this silkworm used to be widely treasured for its beautiful thread in the Meiji and early Taisho Eras, it eventually fell out of favor due to its low productivity until, by the end of the Showa Era, just a few remained only at the Imperial Cocoonery. While it seemed inevitable that the species would be discontinued, the Empress expressed a desire to continue cultivating the species for a while longer, so a small quantity of the koishimaru silkworms continued to be raised when the sericulture of the Heisei Era was started.
It later became apparent that this type of delicate silk thread was essential in restoring the ancient textiles from the 8th century kept in the Shosoin Repository, work which was planned from 1994. So the Empress' decision to continue raising the silkworms led to the restoration of these treasures and the thread also came to be used to repair picture scroll masterpieces from the Kamakura Period, dating to about 1309, playing an important role in preserving the heritage of Japanese culture. Thus, with changing times, a new significance was added to the Imperial sericulture. Consulting with the head worker, the Empress decided to increase the production of koishimaru silkworms and presented the Shosoin Repository with between 20 and 50 kilograms of koishimaru cocoons every year from 1994 until the restoration project was completed in 2010, for a period of 16 years.
To commemorate the 70th birthday of Her Majesty the Empress, the Imperial Household Agency held an exhibition on the Imperial sericulture and the restoration of the ancient textiles of the Shosoin Repository using koishimaru at the Museum of the Imperial Collections. Later, on the occasion of Her Majesty's 77th birthday, the Agency held another exhibition which traced the subsequent developments of the sericulture and the restoration projects. Both exhibitions were well received.
The topic of a silkworm disease known as pebrine was mentioned in the exhibitions. In the mid-19th century, the French sericulture industry was seriously damaged due to an outbreak of pebrine, which spread throughout Europe. In response to Napoleon III's request, Japan sent a shipment of silkworm eggs to France, which helped resolve the crisis.
On the other hand, it was under the guidance of French engineers that the Tomioka Silk Mill, Japan's first mechanized spinning factory, was constructed and completed in 1872, with silk-reeling machines imported from France forming part of the automation process. Female factory workers from all over Japan who assembled here to study the new mechanized reeling techniques from the French engineers later became instructors at silk mills in various regions, contributing to the further development of the industry in Japan. Others went to France to study and returned with advanced dyeing and weaving technologies, making a substantial contribution to the development of the silk dyeing and weaving industry in the Meiji Era.
In light of these exchanges between Japan and France through silk, we are presenting an exhibition in Paris showing the Imperial sericulture carried on by Her Majesty the Empress and textiles from the Shosoin Repository which were restored using koishimaru silk threads made at the Imperial Cocoonery as well as information about the exchanges through silk between France and Japan.
It is our hope that this exhibition will lead to greater understanding of the traditions and culture of the Imperial Household of Japan and help to promote further cultural exchanges between Japan and France.