About Silk
Raising silkworms to make cocoons is called “sericulture.
Its history is ancient and is said to have begun around 2500 B.C.
In the beginning, silkworms were kept in secret, only in the Chinese court.
Silkworms have been treated with great care, literally as “heavenly insects.
The pure white threads produced by silkworms are called “silk” and their appeal spread as far as Rome,
It creates an east-west exchange route known as the Silk Road.
Silk was a luxury material favored by the upper classes in Europe and traded on a par with gold.
In Japan, it is believed that sericulture was introduced to the country by the Japanese people around 200 B.C., along with rice cultivation.
Gradually, sericulture and silk weaving techniques spread throughout the country, including Nishijin textiles in Kyoto and Yonezawa textiles in Yamagata,
It produced textiles unique to Japan.
In the modern era, though, raw silk exports played a role in the postwar economy,
As synthetic fibers were substituted and lifestyles changed, the demand for raw silk declined.
Today, material research is advancing, and the UV absorption, antibacterial action, oxygen and water permeability, biocompatibility, and other properties of the material are being studied.
Various functions have been confirmed, and research into its application as a regenerative medical material has begun.
It is also used as a beauty material to produce collagen and hyaluronic acid.
Research has shown that it activates fibroblasts,
Expectations are high for the potential of silk.
