From the beginning of the Meiji period through the Taisho and early Showa periods, many women from villages in Hida crossed Nomugi Pass to work in Okaya, in the Suwa region, which was booming with the raw silk industry, a major export industry at the time. We created "The Story of the Factory Girls Who Crossed Nomugi Pass" to convey the actual work and lifestyle of these factory girls who made a major contribution to Japan's modernization. For this third installment, we spoke with Satoe, who experienced the factory girls' experiences in Nagano, and Aiko, a storyteller who has listened to the stories of the factory girls in Nagano and continues to pass them on.
(Produced by the Nomugi Pass Festival Executive Committee in 2021)
From the beginning of the Meiji period through the Taisho and early Showa periods, many women from villages in Hida crossed Nomugi Pass to work in Okaya, in the Suwa region, which was booming with the raw silk industry, a major export industry at the time. We created "The Story of the Factory Girls Who Crossed Nomugi Pass" to convey the actual work and lifestyle of these factory girls who made a major contribution to Japan's modernization. For this third installment, we spoke with Satoe, who experienced the factory girls' experiences in Nagano, and Aiko, a storyteller who has listened to the stories of the factory girls in Nagano and continues to pass them on.
(Produced by the Nomugi Pass Festival Executive Committee in 2021)