A Japanese woodcut by Kano Yoshinobu (1552-1640) depicting a stencil dyeing workshop with a range of textiles drying in the sun Kita’in temple, (20th century reproduction, private collection).Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, Director TRC, 28 July 2024
In 2023, Sytske Wijnsma donated a group of 28 Japanese textile stencils (katagami; TRC 2023.0197 - TRC 2023.0225) to the TRC. A few weeks ago she gave another 40 examples (TRC 2024.2008 – TRC 2024.2048). Most of the stencils have been used, but some are pristine. They represent various forms of stencils used for paste-resist dyeing (katazome), which was and still is used to create intricate patterns and motifs for a range of garments and soft furnishings.
A brief history
It is not clear when the use of paper stencils for paste-resist dyeing was first used in Japan, but it is likely that they were in use by the end of the Murimachi (period 1336-1573). More details are available from the Edo period (1603-1868), which is regarded as a golden age for stencil dyeing. It would appear that by that time the technique was applied in various Japanese towns and cities, as well as temples.
A stencil dyeing workshop, for example, was depicted by the Japanese artist, Kano Yoshinobu (1552-1640). The workshop was based at the Buddhist Kita’in temple, in the city of Kawagoe in the Saitama Prefecture. The Ise Bay region (at the mouth of the Kiso Three rivers in the Mie and Aichi Prefectures) also became an important trading centre for stencil printed textiles, which were transported all over Japan and used by an ever-growing number of people. In general, however, formal elite garments tend to be decorated with woven and/or embroidered motifs, rather than stencilled patterns.
Stencil of mulberry paper, with a pattern of groups of two and three, large stylised flower heads, all worked on tiny dots. There is a hand-written text in Japanese down one side of the stencil. Japan, 20th century (TRC 2024.2033).
In the second half of the 19th century trade with the West opened up, and stencil printed textiles and garments started to appear on Western markets, where they were picked up by various groups and artists, including Claude Monet, Gustav Klimt and Vincent van Gogh. The stylised motifs and sinuous lines of paste-resist dyed textiles are known had an influence on Art Nouveau of the late 19th century. Ironically, at the same time, more and more Western-style fashion styles were being adopted in Japan, resulting in economic hardship for the stencil makers and others.
Detail of mulberyy paper stencil with a small, repeating pattern of a square trellis work enclosing quatrefoils and X-shapes, all worked in tiny dots. Japan, 20th century (TRC 2024.2016).The period following the Second World War (1939-1945) saw a further decline in this form of textile and clothing decoration, as well in the wearing of kimono. In the 1960s, however, there developed an interest in kimono and by the end of the 20th century there was a revival in wearing kimono, but also in related artisan techniques, such as past-resist dyeing.
The craft of Edo komon (see below) stencil technique has been on the Japanese Intangible Cultural Property list since 1978, while the bingata form (see below) used in the Okinawa Province was added to the list in 1996. In addition, various local and national societies and groups had started to promote the technique, for both commercial and domestic purposes.
Detail of stencil with a large pattern of roughly oval shapes enclosing stylised floral and abstract motifs of various types. The other side of the stencil has been strengthened with an open weave silk cloth. Japan, 20th century (TRC 2024.2057).The stencils and their use
Most stencils are made of paper made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree (Broussonetia papyrifera, syn. Morus papyrifera L), which is known in Japanese as kozo. The bast fibres are boiled with water in a vat, pounded into a pulp and then mixed into a gelatinous mass that is made into sheets (washi). Once dry, the sheets have the form of a strong paper.
Each stencil is made from one or more layers of paper, which are glued together and then tanned with smoke or brushed with fermented persimmon (kakishibul, family Diospyros) juice several times, in order to make it stronger and waterproof. In the long term, however, this process can make the paper brittle.
Stencil with an abstract pattern of outlined, amoeba-like shapes. Japan, 20th century (TRC 2024.2048).The design is directly drawn or transferred in some manner onto the paper and then traditionally the design was hand-cut, using small knives, drills, punches and/or chisels, but nowadays computer driven cutting machines and even laser cutting forms are being used.
Katagami sizes
The stencils for patterning clothing fabric come in three basic sizes: sansun okuri, koban and chūban, These stencils are generally between 35 and 50 cm wide. The sansun okuri form has the shortest pattern area, about 11 cm (TRC 2024.2016, TRC 2024.2018). Koban has a pattern area of about 15 cm (TRC 2024.2048, TRC 2024.2053), while Chūban has one of between 20-22 cm (TRC 2024.2027, TRC 2024.2033), but it should be noted that these sizes are not standard and variations do exist.
Detail of a stencil with a repeating pattern of paired wavy lines. The other side of the stencil has been strengthened with an open weave silk cloth. Japan, 20th century (TRC 2024.2023).Because of the size of cut areas, both tiny patterns and large-scale katagami (koban) require reinforcement of some kind. In the case of the tiny patterns it is not unusual for an open plain weave cloth in silk to be pasted to the back of the stencil (TRC 2024.2023, TRC 2024.2048). Those with wide, open areas require either silk-thread insertions (ito ire), in order to support and link the various elements of the design together, or to have a similar open weave cloth to that used for the tiny patterns, which is again pasted to the reverse side of the stencil (TRC 2024.2057).
Resist dyeing with stencils
Japanese stencil dyeing (katazome) requires various steps from designing the stencil to the final dyeing process. Of relevance here is the resist dyeing process. The lengths of cloth are laid out on long boards, and then the stencil is laid on the cloth at one end. The stencils are covered in a thick rice paste made from ground rice, rice bran, lime juice and water. The paste is spread over the stencils using spatulas for the larger patterns and paint brushes for the fine examples. The paste is forced through the various gaps. Any area covered by the rice paste appears white on the cloth (sometimes a colouring is added to the paste to make it easier to see the resulting pattern). The stencil is then lifted and re-aligned on the next section of the cloth, and the process is repeated along the full length of the material.
Stencil with a pattern of small, individual flower heads of varying sizes, all made from small dots and lines. Japan, 20th century (TRC 2024.2038).When the complete length of cloth is ‘pasted’, it is placed outside to dry in the sun, and once it has dried it can be dyed. Where there is a layer of paste, the dye will not be able to penetrate the cloth, and in this way a negative image of the required design is created.
Sometimes designs are produced in three or more colours, and multiple stencils (nimai gata and okkake gata) with different parts of the designs are used to build up the required pattern (TRC 2024.2038). In the 20th century, some dyers started to paint directly through the stencil in order to produce multi-coloured designs using a single stencil.
Patterns
A wide range of designs from minute repeating dots and lines (TRC 2024.2012, TRC 2024.2015, TRC 2024.2016) to large scale floral motifs (TRC 2024.2008, TRC 2024.2057). Curved and abstract patterns were and are popular, as well as scrolls (TRC 2024.2022) and trellis works (especially square and diamond forms) enclosing various types of geometric patterns (TRC 2024.2016), as well as floral motifs (TRC 2023.0210), as well as stylised animals and insects such as butterflies, birds and turtles (TRC 2024.2050). There are also some patterns that imitate, resist dyed effects such as kasuri (ikat) effect (TRC 2023.0214). In general, floral motifs are associated with women’s garments, while the small geometric patterns are regarded as suitable for men.
Paper stencil with two rows of a square trellis work pattern enclosing stylised floral motifs. Japan, mid-20th century (TRC 2023.0210).
It is worth noting , that a feature of stencil dyeing is a change in design direction. In general, traditional Japanese clothing does not have shoulder seams, instead the cloth runs over the front and back. This means that a stencilled pattern can change direction for the back of the garment, unlike many roller printed versions that are produced with only one direction (which means that the motif may be upside down on the back of the garment).
Front of jacket made from a dark blue cotton cloth with white, resist dyed motifs and texts in Japanese. Japan, 20th century (TRC 2024.1141).Uses
Such stencils were and still are used for printing designs and patterns on a wide range of garments, including kimono (under and over forms), especially summer versions (katabira and yukata) and jackets (both haori and michiyuki forms).
Stencils of a type larger than chūban tended to be used for garments with single or very large motifs (TRC 2024.1141), as well as gift wrapping cloths, towels, banners or shop signs and to have non-repeating designs orientated in a single direction.
By the early 21st century stencils were also being used for interior decoration, such as for sliding screens (fusuma) and sliding paper doors (shoji).
Bibliography
- Dusenbury, M. (1993). ‘Kasuri’ in: W.J.Rathbun (ed.) Beyond the Tanabata Bridge: Traditional Japanese Textiles, London: Thames and Hudson.
- https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220114/p2a/00m/0et/018000c
- https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/news/japanese-stencil-dyeing
- https://friendlyfirerabbit.com/2023/10/13/katazome-stencil-dyeing/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bingata
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intangible_Cultural_Property_(Japan)
