These materials are related to the Japanese exhibit at the World’s Fair held in Philadelphia in 1876 (also known as the Centennial International Exhibition). With Tsugumichi Saigo serving as chief executive, the Meiji government dispatched many Japanese carpenters to construct a special Japanese pavilion, using the largest budget of any government apart from the U.S. With the goal of promoting exports and obtaining foreign currency, the Japanese pavilion exhibited Japanese tea, ceramic artifacts, and other traditional products, in addition to raw silk and silk fabrics.