Inside 1920s
"The Silk Industry of Japan" (1)
Selecting silkworms for spinning cocoons. From a rare photo book about Japanese silk farmers in the 1920s. This article reproduces the book.
Inside 1920s
Inside 1900s
The Quiet Power of Japanese Silk
Japanese silk cocoon traders weighing cocoons in the 1900s. Ordinary people like these men, most of them in Japan’s rural heartland, quietly turned the country into the world’s leading exporter of raw silk.
Outside 1890s
Japan's Green Revolution (2)
Japanese women transplanting rice seedlings, a process called taue (田植え). Rice farming was hard backbreaking work. For small farmers it was barely worth the effort. Education, innovation, and fertilizer aimed to change that.
Osaka 1913
Japan's Green Revolution (1)
This unassuming factory in Osaka, owned by the Dai-Nippon Artificial Fertilizer Company, tells the little-known story of Japan’s green revolution. By the 1930s, Japan had doubled the output of six major staples and ranked fifth globally in per-acre fertilizer consumption.
Osaka 1929
Becoming Modern with Face Powder and Caramels
Osaka women packing cosmetics at Nakayama Taiyodo Club Cosmetics, a pioneer in scientific management, with bold marketing and cutting-edge products. Firms like this drove Japan’s modernization.
spotlight
Rare Photos of the Hiroshima Atomic Bombing
The Duits Collection holds a number of rare photos taken after the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This article briefly explains what makes these images so special. With one exception, it is very unlikely you have seen them before.