What Is the Mayugura Community Center (formerly Tajiri Silk Mill)?
The Mayugura Community Center (formerly Tajiri Silk Mill) (ふれあい館まゆぐら（旧田尻製糸）, Fureaikan Mayugura) is a three-storey plastered Dozo-zukuri cocoon storehouse in Suzaka City, Nagano Prefecture, built in the late Meiji period and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 19, 2003.
The local reeling firm Tajiri Seishi built it to store silkworm cocoons, the raw material for raw silk. It has a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of sangawara tiles and runs 10 ken along its length, with a footprint of 145 square metres. The walls are white Shikkui plaster, and every side carries neat rows of windows on each floor.
Suzaka grew rich on silk reeling in the late Meiji and Taisho eras, and storehouses of that period still line its streets. Mayugura, literally cocoon storehouse, is one of the few buildings that held the raw material itself and that visitors can walk into today.
A Storehouse Moved on Rollers
Mayugura did not start out here. According to Suzaka City, it stood about 180 metres to the southeast in the Tatemachi district and faced demolition to make way for a planned city road.
The city chose to keep it as a record of Suzaka's silk boom and moved it by Hikiya, the traditional method of cutting a building free of its foundations, jacking it up and rolling it intact. In 2000 the move of about 180 metres took three months, and after restoration the building opened as Fureaikan Mayugura on April 25, 2001.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs also mentions the move and the building's new role as a place for hands-on activities and exhibitions. In fiscal 2007 the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry listed it as Heritage of Industrial Modernization.
Why It Was Registered and What to Look For
It was registered as a building that would not be easy to reproduce. The agency points to its great length of 10 ken and to the orderly rows of windows set into white plaster walls, the look of a true cocoon store.
From outside, the three tiers of windows are what you notice first. Cocoons spoil in damp air, and cocoon storehouses are generally described as having many openings for ventilation, the reverse of a merchant's kura with its few small, shuttered windows. The long, evenly punctured walls show the industrial side of a silk town.
Inside, look for kote-e, relief pictures that plasterers sculpt in wet plaster with a trowel. According to the city, examples are displayed at Mayugura.
Visiting the Mayugura Community Center (formerly Tajiri Silk Mill)
Entry is free. The second and third floors display material on silkworm raising and silk reeling from the Suzaka City Museum collection. On the ground floor is a rest corner where local volunteers serve tea at no charge, and there is exhibition space on the ground floor and the stair landing.
Hours change with the season: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on April 1 through October 31; 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on November 1 through the end of February; and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in March. It closes on December 29 through January 3. The phone number is 026-248-6225.
There is no parking, so come by train: Mayugura is about a 10-minute walk through the old storehouse streets, starting at Suzaka Station on the Nagano Electric Railway (Nagaden) Nagano Line. No photography rule is published; ask the staff before taking pictures inside.
Q&A
- What is the Mayugura Community Center (formerly Tajiri Silk Mill)?
- A three-storey plastered cocoon storehouse built in the late Meiji period by the local Tajiri silk-reeling firm. It is 10 ken long with a 145-square-metre footprint and rows of windows on every floor.
- Why was the Mayugura Community Center (formerly Tajiri Silk Mill) moved?
- A planned city road threatened it with demolition, so in 2000 it was rolled about 180 metres by the hikiya method and, after restoration, reopened on April 25, 2001.
- What are the opening hours and admission for the Mayugura Community Center (formerly Tajiri Silk Mill)?
- 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on April 1 through October 31, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on November 1 through the end of February, and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in March. Admission is free; it closes on December 29 through January 3.
- What can I see inside the Mayugura Community Center (formerly Tajiri Silk Mill)?
- Displays on silkworm raising and silk reeling from the Suzaka City Museum on the second and third floors, a ground-floor rest corner with free tea served by volunteers, and kote-e plaster reliefs.
- How do I get to the Mayugura Community Center (formerly Tajiri Silk Mill), and is there parking?
- It is about a 10-minute walk, starting at Suzaka Station on the Nagano Electric Railway Nagano Line. There is no parking.
Basic Information
| Name | Mayugura Community Center (formerly Tajiri Silk Mill) |
|---|---|
| Location | 387-2 Oaza Suzaka, Suzaka City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/9/19 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Storehouse construction, 3 storeys; building area 145 square metres |
| Owner | Suzaka City |
| Public Access | Open (free; closed December 29 to January 3) |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): ふれあい館まゆぐら（旧田尻製糸）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003544
- Suzaka City: Fureaikan Mayugura facility guide (Japanese)
- https://www.city.suzaka.nagano.jp/soshiki/6010/713.html
- Suzaka City: Modern Industrial Heritage, Shinshu Suzaka Storehouse Streets (Vol. 1, revised)
- https://www.city.suzaka.nagano.jp/material/files/group/17/machinami01.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.26