Further innovations were developed at Takayama-sha Sericulture School, a school opened in 1884 to teach young men sericulture. The school was started by village headman Takayama Chogoro (1830–1886).

Improving sericulture

Chogoro conducted experiments to understand and develop optimal conditions for silkworm development. He controlled the temperature, air flow, and humidity of the rooms where silkworms were raised using charcoal braziers in a method called seion-iku or “clean and warm nurturing.”

Chogoro worked at his home, which he rebuilt in line with his seion-iku method. He incorporated space for charcoal-burning stoves, roof vents similar to koshi-yane, and vents between the floors to move warm or cool air to the upper floor as needed.

Repurposing the home

After the development of the seion-iku method, Chogoro and his family turned their farm into the Takayama-sha Sericulture School. Students came from around Japan, as well as the Korean Peninsula and China, to study the clean and warm method of silkworm raising. They lived in an on-site dormitory and helped care for silkworms as part of their training.

Today, the family home that Chogoro rebuilt while he was developing seion-iku, the student kitchen/bathhouse, the latrine, and the nagayamon (a structure combining an entranceway and space for storage or accommodations for people of low status) all remain.

The gate in front of Chogoro’s home was built in 1687. It contains exhibits about the history of Takayama-sha Sericulture School and displays on seventeenth century building methods and the recent restoration of the gate.

The foundations of the student dormitory, a laboratory, and the underground storeroom used to keep mulberry leaves fresh and moist are reminders of the heyday of the Takayama-sha Sericulture School.

Visitor Information

  • Address : 237  Takenomoto, Takayama, City of Fujioka
  • By train : 35min. by bus from Gunma-Fujioka Stn. on JR-Hachiko-line
  • By car : 20min. from Fujioka IC on Joshinetu-express way
  • Visit : 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Reservations are required for groups. Closed December 28th–January 4th

Contact : Cultural property Protection Division,
The board of education, City of Fujioka
Tel : +81-(0)274-23-5997