On Saturday, May 28, 1921 (Taisho 10), a sericulture expert Masukichi ICHINOSEdied at the age of 55. In 1898 (Meiji 31), Ichinose, a sericulture expert in Ichikawamisato Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, discovered a mulberry sapling that was resistant to harmful insects and had a high yield, making it ideal for sericulture. From mulberry seedlings of the variety name “Nezumi gaeshi” purchased from mulberry seedling traders in Oshimura, Ichise discovered three seedlings of good quality different from the usual Nezumi gaeshi, bred in its own mulberry field and distributed to the neighborhood. In 1916, it won first prize at the (Taisho 5) competition and expanded nationwide as “Ichinose-Kuwa”. These seedlings contributed to the development of sericulture in Japan.
On September 14, 1948, Empress Teimei (Showa 23), the mother of Emperor Showa, visited Ichikawa Misatocho to plant a commemorative tree for Ichinose-Kuwa. Sericulture, which supported Japan in the Meiji period, has further declined in recent years, leaving only 293 households in Japan in 2018.
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