Kumagaya Cultural Creation House (Sakura Mate) Sun Hall Concerts 2025

Learn about the history of Japan's major industry There are some people in Gunma who have the image that Katakura = Tomioka Silk Mill (^-^) I can't believe this is open to the public for free. I think it's up to each person whether they feel nostalgic or like it's a piece of history, but I recommend that you visit it at least once. After all, in the past there were many different types of children (^-^) How about it after AEON?(^-^) *The exhibits on the first floor can be easily viewed by wheelchair users. There are stairs on the second floor ✕ The toilet is wheelchair accessible◎

It was only when I came to this memorial museum that I learned that Aeon's site was originally the site of a Katakura Silk factory. There were facilities such as a silk mill, employee dormitories, school, and swimming pool, and it is said that singers would come and perform performances for employees and the surrounding public. This is a facility where you can clearly understand the work and flow of a silk mill. Since this is open to the public for free, even those who have toured the Tomioka Paper Mill ruins are sure to be able to learn more about the details of the work. As someone who enjoys cycling as a hobby, it was impressive to see three Katakura Silk bicycles on display. Even though he was in the silk spinning industry, he was asked to participate in the military industry, so he started working in the machinery industry.

The museum is housed in a former silk factory building and is located in a section of Aeon. We recommend stopping by here beforehand to learn more about Tomioka Silk Mill! You can learn about how raw silk is manufactured by looking at the silk reeling machines arranged in the order of the actual process. There are also exhibits highlighting the process of cocoon production and sericulture. There were also photographs showing how people lived at the time, such as annual events held by all employees.

You can learn about the history of the silk industry for free. The factory site has been turned into an AEON, and the warehouse remains as a memorial museum. From the HP below The Katakura Silk Memorial Museum is housed in the cocoon warehouse of the Kumagaya Factory, which was the company's last silk mill, and introduces the silk reeling machines that were actually used at the mill, the process of producing raw silk, and life inside the mill. I am. Our company began in Kawagishi Village, Suwa District, Nagano Prefecture (currently Okaya City) in the 6th Meiji Era, with a 10-person company. We contributed to the research of silkworm species and the improvement of silk reeling machines, and expanded our silk mills to up to 62 locations, including the Korean Peninsula, delivering high-quality raw silk to people around the world. In 1932, we took over the Tomioka Silk Mill and operated it until 1988. Recognizing the historical value of the Tomioka Silk Mill, after it ceased operations, we carried over the spirit cultivated there to the Kumagaya Factory, and worked to preserve and manage the building. Due to the decline in demand for raw silk, our last factory, the Kumagaya factory, was closed in 1994, ending our 121-year history in the silk reeling industry. This facility will preserve the history of the silk industry that built Japan's modernization, its role, its relationship with the local community, and the footprints left by our predecessors, and will continue to pass it on to future generations. Certified as a “Heritage of Industrial Modernization” in 2007

This museum is housed in a former silk factory building. Katakura Industries, which operates the company, originated in Nagano Prefecture, and at its peak acquired the Tomioka Silk Mill, one of Japan's representative modernization heritage sites, and owned it until recent years when it was donated to Tomioka City. As times changed, the silk reeling industry ended its historical role with the Kumagaya factory, and the company changed its structure to operate commercial facilities and manufacture pharmaceuticals, making full use of its vast land. Cocoon City ('cocoon' means 'cocoon', reminiscent of our ancestral business), a large-scale commercial facility located in Saitama Shintoshin, is operated by Katakura Industries. The Katakura Silk Memorial Museum is located on the site of the Kumagaya factory, the last silk mill, and is quietly opened in a corner of a shopping center. It has a lot of content compared to its size, so it's best to allow at least 2 hours for your visit. The memorial hall consists of two buildings. On the first floor of the main building, you can learn about how raw silk is manufactured while looking at the silk reeling machines arranged in the order of the actual process. It can be seen that in each of the numerous processes, efforts have been made to improve the quality of the deliverables. When you go up to the second floor, you will see exhibits such as quality control using technology, beautiful trademarks at the time of shipment, and a chronology of Katakura Industries' history. A distinctive feature of the exhibition on the second floor is the lifestyle of people at that time. The factory was equipped with dormitories, a school, a clinic, and leisure facilities, and all employees (including the factory manager and other managers) held annual events, demonstrating that the factory was more than just a workplace; it was also a place of daily life. That seems to be the case. There must have been shadows as well as bright lights to this extended family-like factory operation, but for the employees, there is no doubt that it was society itself, and it warms my heart to remember the joys, angers, and sorrows of life at the time. Ta. In the other wing, there are exhibits highlighting the process of cocoon production and sericulture. Although Katakura Industries is currently developing its business in a different domain, this effort to honor its ancestors is admirable. I hope it will continue in the future.