Romance of Silk (1955)

[Music] for many hundreds of years our history tells us that more than 2,000 years ago camel Caravans Laden with Rich cargos of silk moved across Asia forming a bond between the East and the West since those Early Times silk has been known as the queen of fabrics because of its bright Sheen its soft texture and its amazing durability kings and queens K and Emperors mols and mados have cherished the luxurious qualities of silk Through the Ages in my country the manufacture of silk is almost as old as the cultivation of rice even before our history was recorded Japanese people have been making silk our high standards of skill are the result of this long [Music] tradition the romance of silk as I know it really begins in the foothills of Eastern Japan Northwest of to too here as in many parts of my country land suit by mountains the farmers in this area raise only a few vegetables and very little rice their important work is to grow food for silk worms this food is the leaf of the Mulberry Tree it may seem strange that this old farmer should spend most of the years of his life taking care of insects but that is his work he is an expert in the cultiv ation of silk a skill which he will pass on to his sons and to his grandsons the silkor worm is a fussy fellow for he will eat nothing but mulberry leaves but we pamper him because he is such a valuable friend to us throughout the growing season the mulberry leaves are nourished by loose LOM and blessed by the cool rain and the warm sunshine at the proper time the tender leaves are picked by the women of the village who move through the fields in busy [Music] groups when there big baskets filled to overflowing the women and girls go to the farm buildings where the hungry silk worms are waiting for their food over the years the women who collect the leaves have developed a cust which is not only colorful but [Music] practical silk worms as you may know are the larae of the silk moth which we Japanese consider the most valuable insect in the world the silkor worms are fed only the tenderest leaves which are chopped and prepared according to the age of the worms the caterpillars also have their regular feeding hours just like small children their appetites are so ravenous that several thousand of them eating together in one room make a noise like Falling Rain each year from Spring until fall several generations of silk worms receive the undivided attention and considerate care of the hardworking farmers and their families everyone watches over the fascinating development of the caterpillars through the entire cycle of their lives it is from the cocoons that the moths the parents of the silk worms make their first appearance [Music] Just 4 hours after they emerge into the outer world the moths lay their eggs on cards which are prepared for the purpose then very soon their individual lives come to an [Music] [Music] end but Life Goes On on and from the tiny eggs small black caterpillars are hatched just as soon as they are able to move they start looking for something to eat mberry leaves of course they grow slowly at first but because of their hearty appetites they are fully grown in 3 to 4 weeks at which time they are about 3 in Long when they stop growing they stop eating they are then ready to spin their cocoons to help them a farmer and his family move them to trays of rice straw in these beds the worms instinctively fasten their silk threads to a handy support and start spinning their cocoons sometimes I think they make their cocoons so that they will be more comfortable during the long sleep ahead of them but what is most important to the world is that in the making of the cocoons silk is created through a miraculous process which takes place inside their little bodies the silkor worms transform the mulberry leaves into silken fibers which are almost invisible but very strong the silkor worms are hidden from View and in 3 to 5 days their work is completed Believe It or Not each one has woven a strand of silk 1/2 Mile in length the silkworms have earned a good rest but as you see they are not allowed to sleep the silken fibers must now be Unwound so they can be spun into thread to do this properly the cocoons must be prepared and packed so they can be taken away to the fure a silk reeling Factory where they can be handled thousands of them at one time by efficient machines and trained experts the pleasant trip to the filer through the green warm Countryside comes as a pleasant change to the people who have worked so hard and so long raising the silk [Music] worms through the village the big truck carries its precious load over the smooth Highway the restful rolling Countryside gives the silk farmer and his family a refreshing view of this beautiful land and of course at the end of their Journey they will be paid for their work so they can buy the things which they need in order to make their lives more comfortable we Japanese you know believe in the freedom of the individual we feel that everyone everywhere should be free to work and to plan and to seek a full life in the best way he knows how limited only by his abilities and willingness to work [Music] at the silk fiture the people are waiting for the load of cocoons everything is timed like clockwork so there is no delay in the intricate processing of the silk [Music] inside the silk filer the cocoons are dried and cleaned after which they are boiled during this process they are carefully graded for firmness reability and weight to keep quality High only the bestg grade cocoons are selected for reeling the poor silk worms are to be discarded during the process of unreeling because their days of usefulness are over the ends of the filaments are separated in the war warm water and thread it onto the reels no matter where the work of the unreeling takes place whether on a lonely Farmhouse or in a busy fure the process is tedious and requires the special skill of trained patient women I have often watched these women and I am always impressed by their sustained powers of coordination they seem to take great satisfaction in the careful performance of the and in the machines which give a constant musical pattern of Rhythm and sound when I visit a silk fiture I think of our Japanese musical instruments like the Koto and the shamian do you not agree that the m one of the most satisfying things about modern industrial life is the harmony which exists between the efficient machines and the competent people working together to create more wealth and more products for everyone from the Japanese Farmer in the Hills to the lady in a distant land who will receive the finished silk in one form or another but there are many processes to go through before the silk is ready here it is being wound on reels for dying during the processing at the fure the tiny filaments which were unreal from the cocoons have been brought together to form endless miles of thread [Music] after the thread has been carefully prepared it is taken to a nearby textile mill for weaving into cloth today in Japan the weaving of silk is a thoroughly mechanized industry with the exception of a few highly artistic Weavers who work on hand looms most silk yardage is woven on wonderful machines which almost think for themselves [Music] d [Music] the finished cloth is as perfect as man can make it equal to the best of any land great quantities of silk are shipped abroad but much is used at home among its many uses we Japanese think that perhaps the most approp rate is in the kimono our traditional costume in the kimono and in the Obi a wide sash which goes around the waist we see the most perfect example of the utilization of this Exquisite fabric [Music] much of the beauty and charm of our traditional dancers come from the generous use of silken fabrics for thousands of years we Japanese have appreciated the Bounty and the beauty of our land but to a tiny insect we owe a very large measure of thankfulness for as in olden times we consider that Silk is a miracle of nature as well as a masterpiece of mankind it is my hope that other peoples in other lands will always find each day of their lives to be a little more happy a little more beautiful because of silk the queen of fabrics [Music] [Applause] [Music]