The Silk Road connecting Hachioji and Yokohama. Do you know what was transported along this route?

The opening of Yokohama following the arrival of the Black Ships in the late 19th century led to an increase in raw silk exports, which completely transformed the lives of the people of Yarimizu, who had previously lived in a peaceful rural community engaged in farming and sericulture.

Around the time of the Meiji Restoration, raw silk was a major export. Raw silk collected from the Hachioji area was also transported to Yokohama via the Silk Road (Hama Kaido).

Yarimizu, through which the Silk Road (Hama Kaido) passed, was home to raw silk merchants. Upon the opening of the port, they reportedly purchased “Hachioji silk”—which had previously been traded at the Hachioji-juku market—and transported it over the Yarimizu Pass to Yokohama to sell it.Known as the “Yarimizu Merchants,” these raw silk traders amassed great wealth through this trade, and some even built mansions featuring magnificent stone walls.

In addition to the profits they earned by selling raw silk in Yokohama, the raw silk merchants of Yarimizu also brought Western culture to their town.The books that Yari-mizu’s raw silk merchants brought back from Yokohama contained illustrations depicting Western culture, such as scenes of American and British life. It appears that the merchants of Yari-mizu studied using exercise books to learn English and were conscious of their interactions with the wider world.