The Journal of Silk Science and Technology of Japan

Factors involved in the development of the silk textile industry in developing countries - comparison between Laos and Nepal

Eriko Kawaguchi

2013 Volume 21 Pages 3-10
Published: 2013
Released on J-STAGE: March 21, 2014

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11417/silk.21.3

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To reveal the main factors involved in the development of the silk textile industry in developing countries, this study compared the industries of Laos and Nepal. In Laos, a private silk textile industry comprising sericulture, silk reeling, and silk weaving was launched in 1993 by a rural development program. The industry has thrived since then. In the 2000s, receiving a boost from government policy, it has become strategically important to poverty eradication and economic growth. The silk textile industry in Laos has thus ensured its security. In Nepal, in contrast, the government controlled the silk industry until 2009, focusing mainly on sericulture and silk reeling. But it accorded no importance to silk weaving for the development of the overall industry. There is no national policy on silk textiles, and the private sector has received little encouragement to develop the industry. These differences between Laos and Nepal reveal important factors involved in the development of the silk textile industry in developing countries.

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Physical Properties of Silk Fibroin Fibers Irradiated with Gamma Rays

Yutaka Kawahara, Shingo Washika, Yoshimitsu Ikeda, Naotsugu Nagasawa

2013 Volume 21 Pages 11-13
Published: 2013
Released on J-STAGE: March 21, 2014

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11417/silk.21.11

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We gamma-irradiated silk fibroin fibers at a dose of 25 kGy and measured the changes in their tensile properties and hue. Irradiation reduced both the breaking strength and the elongation at breakage by up to 10%, and yellowed the fibers, but the degree of crystallinity was almost unchanged.

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Reconstruction of fiber industry in Yonezawa after the 2011 earthquake

Takeshi Yokoyama, Akira Sunou, Satoshi Sekigami, Naotatsu Ono

2013 Volume 21 Pages 15-22
Published: 2013
Released on J-STAGE: March 21, 2014

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11417/silk.21.15

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We analyzed the characteristics of recent production in the silk weaving industry in Yonezawa following the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, and the management of successor companies, to support the revival of the industry. We interviewed representatives of the Yonezawa City Office, three weaving companies, and six successors. The fiber industry remains a local industry. The main silk products continue to be made, but shipments have been decreasing. The successors are trying to sell their silk products, but the earthquake has interrupted physical distribution and hindered the maintenance of looms. We suggest that the weaving cooperatives create a region-independent weaving production area, and that they urgently reestablish the loom repair system.

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Demand for Japanese clothing and management of obi weaving in the nishijin production area

Takeshi Yokoyama, Akira Sunou, Sekigami Satoshi, Naotatsu Ono

2013 Volume 21 Pages 23-29
Published: 2013
Released on J-STAGE: March 21, 2014

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11417/silk.21.23

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To define ways to revive the demand for Japanese clothing production, we interviewed representatives of nishijin weaving cooperatives and an obi weaving company. The demand for Japanese clothing, especially kimono and obi for women, decreased gradually from 1975 to 2011. Obi weavers have shifted to the small-scale production of a variety of items, and competition among them has become keen in recent years. We offer three ways to revitalize the Japanese clothing sector: to change the way of thinking about Japanese clothing from a commodity to artistic goods which are made with care and hard work; for weavers and traders to cooperate; and to strengthen sales promotion by nishijin weaving cooperatives.

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Production and demand for high-class silk during the Nara period

Mutsuo Miki

2013 Volume 21 Pages 31-36
Published: 2013
Released on J-STAGE: March 21, 2014

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11417/silk.21.31

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During the Nara period, in the 8th century CE, demand for the high-class nishiki, aya, ra, and ryomen silks for government and religious purposes was small compared with the demand for general silks, but demand for kanhata was strong. Little high-class silk was given as diplomatic gifts to foreign countries. Some was used as ornamentation in inner Buddhist temples, and for monks’ costumes, sutras, and sutra bags. Kanhata was much used for making sutras, particularly in the latter half of the Nara period. Small amounts of nishiki, aya, ra, haku, and gauze silks were woven into ashiginu.

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The transformation to higher-value silk products after World War II

Shiho Kagami, Atsushi Chitose

2013 Volume 21 Pages 37-44
Published: 2013
Released on J-STAGE: March 21, 2014

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11417/silk.21.37

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We analyzed the transformation to higher-value silk products after World War II from the aspects of product mix, price, and quality. Silk production shifted in favor of higher-value products until the 1970s, and the average price of silk products increased faster than commodity prices until then, but more slowly thereafter, with distinct volatility. The average silk yarn content of silk products decreased substantially during the 1970s, implying a decline in quality in terms of traditional criteria. The transformation to higher-value silk products was not necessarily accompanied by increases in price and quality, and some production areas could maintain price increases despite substantial volatility in average market prices.

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Optimization of pretreatment and LiBr concentration for dissolving whole cocoon silk proteins

Katsura Kojima, Maria Murakami, Yasushi Tamada

2013 Volume 21 Pages 45-47
Published: 2013
Released on J-STAGE: March 21, 2014

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11417/silk.21.45

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To optimize a method for dissolving whole silkworm cocoon proteins, we pretreated cocoons with 70% ethanol and different concentrations of lithium bromide (LiBr) in solubilizing solution. Pretreatment with 70% ethanol improved the dissolution of the proteins in 9 M LiBr solution. LiBr solution at concentrations of 7.5 to 9.5 M buffered with 0.1 M Tris·HCl at pH 9.0 could dissolve whole proteins efficiently. The efficiency of dissolution was the same among different cocoons.

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Life Goods and Industrial Materials Made of Silk from the 1930s to the 1950s in Japan

Chiyuki Takabayashi, Satomi Morita, Kumiko Hayashi, Kayoko Morozumi

2013 Volume 21 Pages 49-56
Published: 2013
Released on J-STAGE: March 21, 2014

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11417/silk.21.49

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Manufacture of throwing silk yarn for bamboo blinds

Shigeto Shimizu, Tomohiko Hananouchi

2013 Volume 21 Pages 57-59
Published: 2013
Released on J-STAGE: March 21, 2014

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11417/silk.21.57

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