21/04/2026
Join Dr Yupin Chung, Curator of East Asian Art, for a special tour looking at exquisite items from the 1878 Japanese Government Gift, including our fabulous collection of silk.
📅 Tuesday 5th May, 2.30-3.30pm
The Vienna World’s Fair of 1873 introduced Europeans to a new pure silk fabric. A year earlier, in 1872, the Meiji government established the Tomioka Silk Mill, one of Japan’s first modern silk reeling factories. The Tomioka silk it produced impressed audiences at the World Fair, and the name “Tomioka silk” quickly spread throughout Europe. A Japanese gift to Glasgow included a sample of the raw silk from the new factory.
Today, the Tomioka Silk Mill is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Textile industry was one of the first to be mechanised in Japan, with changes staggered during the Meiji era (1868-1912), deliberately modifying the production of different silk fibres. At the time, Nishijin-ori artisans responded rapidly. In 1872, the Kyoto Prefecture government sent three weavers to Lyon, France, to acquire pioneering techniques and knowledge. Upon their return, they introduced the Jacquard loom to Japan for the first time. Woven textiles produced in the Nishijin area of Kyoto are known as Nishijin-ori. They feature brilliantly dyed silk interwoven with lavish gold and silver threads into complex patterns.
Tickets are FREE but very limited, so contact us to book your place
📧 [email protected] or
📞 0141 276 9300
Image: Detail of silk brocade, Kyoto, Japan 1878.169.fv © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection
