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At the beginning of the 18th century, Japan was almost wholly dependent on China for imports of raw silk to supply its textile industry. However, in order to cut back on the depletion of gold and silver which was used to pay for the silk imports, the government began to provide incentives for people to raise silkworms and produce raw silk domestically. At the time, the southern half of Gunma Prefecture was poorly irrigated, with few rice paddies or other means of producing profitable crops. Farmers began a rush to plant mulberry trees and raise silkworms. Due to fluctuations in raw silk prices this was a risky venture, but one that paid off if one was lucky. In 1859, Japan ended its seclusion policy and opened its doors to the world. Yokohama developed into an international trading port, and raw silk became Japan's key export. For the next century, Maebashi was a leading producer of that commodity, but eventually, as other countries began to produce silk, the silk industry went into decline, and was replaced by heavier industries such as the manufacture of electric machinery and transport equipment. The city of Maebashi developed industrial parks along the western bank of the Tonegawa and began to actively encourage private industry to build in this area.
Following this change, Nissin Electric entered Maebashi. Founded in Kyoto in 1910, Nissin took over the production of electrical capacitors from Sumitomo Electric in 1945, and in 1963 built a new plant in Maebashi. The 187,000 square meter factory grounds are currently the site of facilities that manufacture electrical equipment such as circuit breakers, capacitor voltage transformers, and gas-insulated switch-gears for high-voltage substations.
With nearly 700 employees, most of whom are natives of Gunma, the facility maintains a strong commitment to the community, with the local youth soccer league having free use of the plant's soccer field for weekly practices. Numerous cherry trees also populate the plant grounds, and every year when the cherry blossoms bloom, the annual hanami (flower-viewing) festival is held. The entire community is invited such as the residents of local senior citizen's centers. The company and its labor union cooperate in the organization of a variety of booths for serving refreshments, and although children enjoy the chance to run around the spacious grounds, more than anyone, it's the senior citizens who seem to enjoy this leisurely season of old-fashioned Japanese hanami. |
