How to Start Raising Silkworms — A Guide from Seiyo, Japan

"I'd love to try raising silkworms." Most people who say this add the same thing right after: "But I have no idea where to begin."

Here is the good news: in Seiyo City, Ehime Prefecture—the rural corner of Shikoku where I live—there is a system in place to support that very first step. But let me be honest with you up front: this works because it is Seiyo. The same approach will not apply everywhere in Japan, let alone abroad. In Seiyo, the municipal Silk Museum acts as the central gateway, coordinating a whole range of support for new silkworm farmers.

With that understood, here is how sericulture actually begins in Seiyo—from my own experience.

Where Do the Silkworms Come From?

You might imagine raising silkworms from the egg. In Seiyo, however, the hardest early stage is handled for you by the local system.

The silkworms come from a specialist breeder called Ehime Sanshu, in the nearby town of Yawatahama. You simply tell the local agricultural cooperative (JA) how many you need by the deadline, and on delivery day—known