皇后さま、初の養蚕終える

　皇后さまは１０日、皇居内の紅葉山御養蚕所を訪れ、今年の養蚕作業を締めくくる「御養蚕納の儀」に臨まれた。
　宮内庁によると、儀式では今年収穫した純国産種「小石丸」の繭から紡いだ生糸を神前に供えた。皇后さまは初めての養蚕を無事に終え、感慨深い様子だという。

　皇居内での養蚕は明治以降の歴代皇后が継承。昨年は即位関連行事と重なったため、今年初めて作業に携わった皇后さまは５月以降、御養蚕所に通って蚕に桑を与えたり、繭作り用の網に移したりした。
　新型コロナウイルス感染対策で、作業に当たる担当者を減らし、皇后さまも作業時はマスクを着用。飼育品種を四つから一つに絞ったが、小石丸としては例年並みの収穫量だったという。（2020/07/10-11:58）

Japanese Empress Masako on Friday offered to gods raw silk made from cocoons of silkworms she raised to complete the Imperial tradition of sericulture for this year, marking her first such experience.
   The Empress performed this in the "Goyosan-Osame-no-Gi" ceremony, held at the Momijiyama Imperial Cocoonery in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
   The raw silk offered at the ritual was spun from cocoons of Koishimaru silkworms, a pure Japanese variety, according to the Imperial Household Agency. She appeared to be full of emotion after completing her first sericulture since she became Empress in May 2019.
   The sericulture at the palace has been conducted by Empresses since the Meiji period.
   Empress Masako took charge of the annual Imperial sericulture for the first time, after last year was crammed with events related to Emperor Naruhito's enthronement. The Empress took care of the silkworms since May, including feeding them with mulberry leaves and moving them to a net used to form cocoons.