Thirteen hundred years ago, during the Nara Period (710-94), the town of Kiryu in Gunma Prefecture produced its first silk. It was the start of an industry that by the late 19th and early 20th centuries helped Kiryu become prosperous.
Gunma-farmed silk was processed, spun and shipped all around the world via Kiryu. However, like many industrial towns across rural Japan, Kiryu has since economically suffered. With less demand for silk and fewer job opportunities in general, younger generations have moved to areas in Japan with better prospects. The high-quality textiles Kiryu is renowned for continue to be made, but the town is not the economic powerhouse it once was.
Despite the fact that population continues to age and dwindle, there has been a recent optimistic energy to the area's residents and shops. Some people who were born and raised in Kiryu, but left it for work or higher education, are moving back. Artists and designers from other areas are also arriving, drawn to the town's unique textile history.