The Benibana Museum (The Safflower Museum)
32. Decline of Domestic Benibana (国産紅花の衰退)
Benibana was a valuable cash crop. At the end of Edo period, though its production lasted its increase, it came close, because a silk industry and tea cultivation were prevalent. The benibana industry was begun to be defeated gradually. This inclination was a nation-wide.
But the quantity of demand of benibana did not decreased, because its shortage was imported from foreign lands like China and India. The amount of imports rose 24,000 kilo grams in 1876 at the highest.
But the final blow for domestic production was an import of chemical dyes from Europe. Carmin acid cochineal extract, which was already imported at Nagasaki about 1790, was good for bright red dyeing and more it was used for an edible stuff.
And aniline dyes was also imported, which thoroughly drove out the old benibana colors. Because the price of produce of benibana colors had no match against those chemical dyes.
Mogami-benibana, besides other domestic benibanas, also began to decline and disappeared as the time went on.