Paper size 15.5” x 9.75”

Image size 13.5” x 5.5”

Two 19th-century Hand-cut and perforated katagami with leaves and flowers. One has kanji in the margin and a seal. Both stencil show signs of use such as wrinkling around the edges and light wear to the paper. Please see photos for details.

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Katagami (finely cut paper stencils) are used in the dyeing of cloth, typically long bolts of cotton, silk, or other cloth used for kimono and other Japanese garments. Ise katagami stencils are made from layers of handmade Japanese traditional paper made from mulberry bark bonded together with persimmon tannin and carved with openwork designs. Katagami stencils have long been used in the making of silk kimonos, cotton textiles for yukata (summer kimonos), and yūzen dyed silks. Various patterns are expressed on katagami stencils, and they show the richness and interest of Japanese design, as well as the remarkable prowess of Japanese fine-cutting techniques.