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made marked progress even in the early days, owing to Imperial encouragement, and to the efforts of Chinese instructors who had become naturalized in the country. In the year A.D. 195, Prince Koman, a descendant of the royal house, emigrated to China, became naturalized, and introduced the Chinese species of silkworm. Many years later a son of this Prince Koman settled in Japan, and with him a large body of experienced silk-weavers, who were distributed throughout the country for the purpose of instructing the people in this art. About fifty years later the then Emperor is said to have required his Empress to visit the houses of the silk-weavers and sericulturists to encourage them in their industry, while still later, in A.D. 462, the Emperor Yuryake caused his Empress to pick mulberry-leaves and rear silkworms. From this time forward the culture of silk became a matter of great national concern, and, with some reverses, has continued to expand and increase to this day. Silk came to be accepted as a substitute for other payment of taxes, and to be very generally used for purposes of attire. In consequence of this, it came to pass that there was not in Japan a province where the silkworm was not reared and the fabric manufactured. During the ‘Age of Wars,’ or the Japanese Dark Ages, beginning about A.D. 936, and lasting about 700 years, the product suffered to a disastrous extent, only being carried on in out-of-the-way places which were comparatively free from the ravages of fire and the sword. With the return of peace conditions, about the year 1615, the Daimios, anxious to see the people settle back into avocations which made for orderly conditions, began assiduously to encourage a revival of the silk trade. For all that, however, the passing of sumptuary laws prohibiting the common people from wearing silk garments again threw the work into confusion, and it was not until the opening of the treaty ports in 1859 that the market for Japanese silks again flourished in any marked degree. With the New Era, the Imperial Government, carrying out the wishes of the Emperor, has encouraged the production of silk by every means in its power.

Various circumstances have combined at times within recent years to adversely affect the silk trade of the country. Soon after the opening up of the ports to foreign trade, the silkworm epidemic in Europe caused great demand for Japanese silkworm eggs, and vast numbers were exported; but success made the growers careless, and a large number of inferior eggs were sent out. The Government, seeing the certainty of eventual loss of trade and prestige which must ensue from dishonest practices of this nature, made various attempts to control the export trade, but with little success.