Silk factory in Tomioka

Silk factory in Tomioka
UNESCO world heritage
	the eastern warehouse
National territory:	Japan
Type:	Culture
Criteria :	(ii), (iv)
Reference No .:	1449
UNESCO region :	Asia and Pacific
	History of enrollment
Enrollment:	2014 (session 38)

35.648772222222 139.64741666667Coordinates: 35 ° 38 ′ 55.6 " N , 139 ° 38 ′ 50.7" E

Japan

The Tomioka Silk Factory ( Japanese 富岡製糸場 Tomioka Seishijō ) is an industrial monument in Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture , Japan . It was the first modern silk spinning mill in Japan , founded in 1872 during the Meij period . After the forced opening of Japan, it is a testimony to the “entry of the country into the modern industrialized world”.

The entire site , including the surrounding area, has been designated a "National Historic Site " and the original buildings have been designated as National Treasures and Important Cultural Property of Japan . In 2014 it was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites as “Tomioka silk mills” .

history

Shortly after the Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century, the Japanese government accelerated modernization of Japan to catch up with European countries. Japanese raw silk was the main export item and supported the growth of the Japanese economy at the time. During this boom, however, the Japanese silk industry began to sacrifice the quality of their silk for quantity , which quickly damaged Japan's reputation as a raw silk manufacturer. As a result, the Japanese government decided to set up the silk factory in Tomioka as a model silk factory, which was equipped with state-of-the-art machines to improve the quality of the raw silk. In 1870 Paul Brunat, who worked in a French trading company in Yokohama , researched suitable locations for a silk factory in the Kantō region and selected the location in Tomioka from among the candidates. Construction began in 1871 and was completed in July of the next year. The factory started operations three months later. In the beginning there were 150 silk wrapping machines (300 basins) and about 400 workers operated the machines in the factory. The lifestyle of the workers was recorded in the diary of Wada Ei (Yokota) .

Wada Egg (Yokota)

The silk factory in Tomioka has focused on providing high quality raw silk. But while their silk enjoyed a good reputation overseas for its high quality, business was always in the red. Even after cost reductions, they continued to suffer from chronic deficits . As a result, the government decided to privatize the Tomioka silk factory and transfer its business to the Mitsui Group in 1893 . In 1902 it was transferred again from the Mitsui Group to the Hara Company . In 1939 (the 14th year of the Showa era ), the Tomioka silk factory was transferred to Katakura Industries Co., Ltd., the largest silk company in Japan. The factory actively contributed to the growth of the Japanese economy during and after World War II . The Tomioka silk factory closed in March 1987 and is well maintained as a historic site. In 2005 the Tomioka silk factory was designated a historic site by the government and handed over to the city of Tomioka . On June 21, 2014, it was added to the list of world cultural heritage as a cultural site.

Silk machine hall in the Meiji era
Silk factory in the Meij period (1868–1912)
Paul Brunat (1870)
Silk machine shop on a Japanese color woodcut

description

The Tomioka Silk Factory was a large factory founded by the Japanese government on November 4, 1872 in the old town of Tomioka in order to introduce modern machines for silk production from France and to spread their technology in Japan. All the buildings in this model silk factory were designed by the French engineer Paul Brunat and are in very good condition. Paul Brunat organized the factory according to French standards at the time, including free weekends and medical care . This former state factory includes the following components :

The “eastern warehouse” was used as a warehouse for the silk cocoons . Today it houses an exhibition , the production of silk from silkworms graphically represents to the finished tissue product, a screening room and a souvenir -Laden.
The “western warehouse”, like the eastern warehouse built in 1872, was a warehouse for silk cocoons from the cocoon drying plant. Like the cocoon drying facility, it is currently being extensively restored , but is to be made accessible to the public in 2020.
"Machine hall": The machine hall in between is the silk production workshop with the silk winding machines , which is equipped with large window fronts . Since there was no electric light at that time , the silk factory was operated from sunrise to sunset . Also noteworthy is the wooden roof structure , which enables a hall without supporting pillars in the middle.
"Steam engine": The steam engine is a replica of the drive source that drove the silk winding machines in the workshop . This steam engine is working.
"Chimney": The chimney was part of the steam engine and served to remove the exhaust gases .
"Steel water tank": The steel water tank was necessary for the water supply in silk production. In 1875 he replaced the water storage basin made of bricks. With a diameter of 15.2 meters and a maximum depth of 2.4 meters, it is one of the oldest steel structures in Japan. The round steel water tank is believed to be made from imported steel plate at the Yokosuka Marine Shipyard , Yokohama Iron Works . The steel plates were on site with from the ship coming rivets assembled and placed on stone pillars.
"Villa of the French factory director Paul Brunat": According to an anecdote , the workers are said to have thought that the factory director Paul Brunat feeds on blood because he drank a glass of red liquid every evening on the balcony of his villa . Wine was still unknown in this area at that time. The villa was later used as accommodation and school for the workers.
"Workers' quarters", and washrooms are visible.
"Infirmary": for sick employees
"House for the French Women Trainers:" The two-story building built in 1873 for French women workers has features such as a balcony that are unknown in traditional Japanese houses . The trainers taught the Japanese workers how to use the silk wrapping machines.
"House of the building supervisor:" It was originally built for the French technical consultants and is now used as an office space. On the second floor is a VIP -space with a fireplace made of marble . Members of the imperial family and high-ranking government officials appear to have used the house, which has been preserved in almost its original state.
"Office building": used for administration .

Location

The silk factory in Tomioka is about 100 km northwest of Tokyo .

The city of Tomioka and the Tomioka area were selected as the ideal location for silk production because:

Sufficient quantities of cocoons could be produced in the area (the former production facilities are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and can be visited.)
the supply of fresh water to the silk factory in Tomioka was secured by the nearby Kabura River
There was enough coal available from the surrounding towns for the steam engine
a sufficiently large property was available
the local population agreed to build a factory complex run by foreigners.

Since the UNESCO World Heritage Site “The sites of the silk spinning mill in Tomioka” represents a total complex of silk production, it consists of four sites in the vicinity: the cooling storage of Arafune , the former largest warehouse for the eggs of the silk moth, the school for silk production in Takayama-sha , the silk production farm in Tajima Yahei and from the silk factory in Tomioka itself.