A REPORT ON THE STUDIES MADE IN JAPAN ON 

 PEARL CULTURE 



By YosHiiCHi M ATSUi 



Nippon Institute for Scientific Research on Pearls 

 Kyoto, Japan 



The culture of pearls in Japan dates from 1893 when K. Mikimoto 

 first produced by culture blister pearls from Pinctada martensii (Diin- 

 ker). Then in 1904, T. Mise first succeeded in cultivating spherical 

 pearls. He was followed by T. Nishikawa and K. Mikimoto, but it 

 was not until 1915 that M. Fujita organized Nishikawa's method on 

 an industrial basis and brought the products to the market. In 1938, 

 the total production at 289 culture grounds reached a peak of 560 kg 

 per annum. After this the production slumped and the number of 

 culture grounds was also reduced to 106, which were even closed en- 

 tirely at one time. However, the recovery starting from 1948 was 

 spectacular, and in 1952, the number of culture grounds exceeded 1200 

 with a total output of 400 kg. a year. The fresh-water culture of pearls 

 has also been continued since it was successfully experimented on Hy- 

 riopsis schlegeli (Martens) in 1924, and now has an output of about 

 4 kg. a year. 



Until recently the method of pearl culture had been veiled under 

 the protection of a patent. But the increasing demand after 1946 made 

 it imperative to reorganize the industry on a scientific basis. Thus the 

 Nippon Culture Pearl Co., Ltd., which is the organization of Japanese 

 pearl culturists, established a laboratory to carry on basic studies on 

 pearl and its culture, in close cooperation with Kyoto University. 

 The laboratory afterwards became independent and was reorganized 

 into its present form. At present there is a project conceived by the 

 Government for setting up the National Research Institute so as to 

 meet the marked increase of the numbers of both the culturists and the 

 scientific workers. 



The most important task in the study of pearl culture is to find 

 out the process in which a pearl is formed. The Japanese pearl cul- 

 turists, having developed a high art, seem to have accomplished this 

 task. But it is plain, if you observe how pearls are formed under 

 natural circumstances, that while they found out a method of trans- 

 planting pearl secretion tissue, they have not yet clarified the vv^hole 



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