Feeding on mulberry leaves, raised close to people, silkworms leave their cocoons and carry life into the next generation.
Silkworms pass through the stages of egg, larva, pupa, and adult moth.
After hatching, the larvae feed on mulberry leaves and grow, eventually spinning cocoons.
From these cocoons come the materials that become reeled silk, mawata, and hand-spun thread.
The Cycle of Life
A newly hatched silkworm begins as a tiny black larva known as gisan.
It sheds its skin four times while feeding on mulberry leaves. During the fifth and final instar, it grows rapidly and eats most of the leaves it will consume throughout its larval life.
When it becomes a mature larva, known as jukusan, it climbs onto a cocooning frame called a mabushi and spends two to three days spinning its cocoon.
Inside the cocoon, it becomes a pupa and later an adult moth, carrying life into the next generation.
At yamamayu, we raise silkworms ourselves and record the time of their growth and cocoon-making.
The Time of Raising Silkworms →
As Silk Forms Within the Body
Inside the larva is a pair of silk glands.
They develop rapidly during the fifth instar. By the time the silkworm reaches maturity, the material that will become silk fills a large part of its body.
Within the outwardly quiet body of the silkworm, preparations for cocoon-making are underway.
The cocoon protects the silkworm during its pupal stage. It is also where our thread-making begins.
Threads Born from the Cocoon
Reeled Silk
The cocoons are softened in hot water, and the filaments unwound from several cocoons are reeled together.
The result is a smooth, even thread that forms the foundation of silk textiles.
Tama-ito
This thread comes from double cocoons and has a distinctive, slubbed texture.
Its beauty lies in its natural irregularity.
Spun Silk
This thread is spun from cocoons that are difficult to reel and from shorter silk fibres.
It is relatively even and easy to work with.
From Mawata to Tsumugi Thread
The cocoons are softened in hot water and opened into mawata, which is then spun by hand.
Its loft and warmth give an important expression to yamamayu cloth.
A cocoon does not end in a single form. It branches into threads, each with a different expression.
At yamamayu, we carry these differences into the cloth.
From Cocoon to the Next Material
The cocoons of domestic silkworms and tensan have different colours and qualities.
You can also continue to learn about mawata, made by opening the cocoon.
Home › From Cocoon to Cloth › About Domestic Silkworms