The History of Nishijin-ori (8): 20th Century and the Future

Since ancient times, the history of silk has been global, with Japan largely playing the role of a recipient rather than an active participant. However, this dynamic began to shift toward the 20th century.

In the mid-19th century, a disease ravaged European silkworms, devastating the silk industry in Europe. In response, Europe turned to Asia, and both China and Japan emerged as major silk producers. At that time, however, the quality of Japanese raw silk was still below European standards and needed to be reprocessed before it could be used for high-quality production.

Thanks to improvements in breeding and concerted efforts to meet international quality standards, Japan soon became the leading exporter of silk to the United States. In the global market, Japan established itself as a top exporter of high-quality raw silk, while finished textiles remained largely for domestic use.

The Nishijin-ori industry endured a turbulent period between the two world wars, marked by sumptuary laws, fires, and shortages of basic materials. During Japan's period of rapid economic growth, the Nishijin-ori industry flourished once again, but it began to decline afterward, due to the Westernization of lifestyles and the rise of artificial fabrics.

As it has throughout its 1,500-year history, the Nishijin-ori industry now faces a new crisis: a shrinking market and the loss of its heirs to the tradition. Yet, we believe there is still great potential in opening new frontiers for Nishijin-ori in the global market and finding innovative ways to utilize its fabrics.