Traditional Industry and Regional Economy : A Comparative Study on Oshima-tsumugi Industry and Yuki-tsumugi Industry

1993 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 04630031
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: 経済事情及び政策学
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: NAKAMURA Masafumi Kagoshima University, Faculty of Law and Letters, Professor, 法文学部, 教授 (80041086)
• Project Period (FY): 1992 – 1993
• Keywords: Traditional industry / Silk fabric industry / home industry / Oshima-tsumugi industry / Yuki-tsumugi industry / Original technique / Silk thread / Cheap laborer

Research Abstract

This study inteds to clarify the origin of the issues of traditional industry by the comparison of Oshima-tsumugi industry with Yuki-tsumugi industry. (Each of them is a kind of silk fabric industry.)
1. Oshima-tsumugi industry originated in Amami Archipelagoes sprang up early in the Meiji Era and prospered afterwards. On the other side, Yuki-tsumugi industry originated in and around Yuki sprang up at the late Edo Era and growed in the Meiji Era. The formation of the two industries depends on the oversaturation of farm workers. The root cause of oversaturation was the low productivity which came from the small owenership and the poor natural conditions.
2. These industries developed as home industries in farm villages. Many farmers worked in these industry as a sideline. In Amami Archipelagoes quite number of farmers made specialities of tsumugi industry. An abundant cheap laborers came from the farm village. And capitalistic enterprises grew up in and around Naze. In Yuki-tsumugi industry the specialization of job did not occur on the ground of it original technique. The silk thread is spun from waste cocoons by hand. This kind of spinning takes a lot of time. So it needs a large number of women's labor forces.