In the town of Tsuwano (formerly Nichihara) in Shimane Prefecture, the "Research Association for Artificial Silkworm Feed" was launched in 1990 as an industry-academia-government collaboration initiative, and although the project was put on hold when the town underwent a municipal merger, it was eventually established as a corporation called “Nichihara Research & Development Laboratories, Inc.” in 2005 thanks to locals who took up an interest in it. Currently, we have successfully cultivated caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) and offer it as a "safe and worry-free caterpillar fungus" developed in the local "Tsuwano style.”
Natural caterpillar fungus infects the insect while it is still alive. By focusing on this infection process, Tsuwano in Shimane Prefecture has patented a method of cultivating caterpillar fungus that involves infecting live silkworm pupae with the fungus.
Nichihara Research & Development Laboratories, Inc., which is licensed by the town of Tsuwano for use of their patent, utilizes this method to cultivate caterpillar fungus under the brand name, "Tsuwano-style Caterpillar Fungus.”
"Tsuwano-style Caterpillar Fungus” competes with the life of live silkworms while the caterpillar fungus is in the process of growing, and the fungus grows as it takes over. This is why "Tsuwano-style Caterpillar Fungus” is thought to contain lots of high-quality ingredients, and research on this is currently moving forward.
All of the silkworm pupae, which become caterpillar fungus, we use are cultivated in-house. Sericulture used to be a key industry in Japan. Today, the number of sericultural farms has fallen to under 500 in all of Japan, but despite this there are still techniques and wisdom held among exemplar farmers that deserve special mention.
We will continue to seek out new possibilities for the sericulture industry while still inheriting Japanese techniques like this that deserve pride.