Contents

 Introduction__________________________ 3
 History______________________________ 4-5
 The Process__________________________ 6-8
 GI Tag_______________________________ 9
 Influences of Katazome_________________ 10-12
 A Dying Art___________________________ 13-14
 Contemporization_____________________ 15-17
 References___________________________ 18

Karakusa (arabesque) motif, a symbol for eternity or a family legacy

Introduction
Katazome is a Japanese method
of dyeing fabrics using a resist
paste applied through a stencil.
The resist paste used here is a
sticky rice paste, which is a
combination of rice husks, lime,
and water. Sometime, a colour
will be added to the rice paste
for the clearance of the pattern.
This paste is applied to the cloth
through a stencil and then the
cloth is dried. Pigments are
applied over the paste or the
cloth is dipped in a dye, mostly indigo to apply the colour. The areas covered by
the rice paste remain white, while the other portions are dyed. Wherever the
paste sticks, it will prevent any colour from staining that spot. So, the rice paste is
resisting the colour to create a design on the fabric.

The stencils used in this process

are called Katagami, which
means ‘pattern paper’ in
Japanese. (kata=pattern and
gami=paper). These stencils
were initially developed for
printing on fabrics used to make
kimonos. The process of carving
the pattern is a challenging task.
These intricate stencils cannot
be created without the properly
prepared papers. Layers of washi papers are bonded together using persimmon
tannin liquid to create the stencil papers.
History
The technique of using the Katagami stencils originated in the ISE district of Mie
prefecture in Japan during the latter part of the eighth century. But it was during
the Edo and Meiji periods (1600 - 1900) that these stencils developed into fine
works of art, reflecting the craftsmanship and the sense of beauty of Japanese
stencil cutters. As the Ise
district was part of the feudal
estate owned by the Kishu
Takugawa family, close
relatives of the Shogun, the
stencil cutters in the district
enjoyed the patronage of the
feudal lords, and soon this
district became the center of
kimono stencils.

Katazome was indigenously invented in japan and never exported overseas.

However, it is difficult to preserve its relics due to the materials used and the
Japanese climate with high temperature and humidity. The product was used for
practical purposes and thus it is hard to trace and verify the precise history of
Katazome from the limited relics.

There exist some old relics which can be classified as Katazome, one of which is
known as ‘Fukie no kami’, a sheet of paper with ‘sprayed’ pictures as it was based
on the technique to produce a pattern by spraying colours on a white paper with
stencils. There were some other modern stencil paper techniques found in the
late Heian and the Kamakura periods known as ‘Somekawa’ dyed leather and
‘Fumikomi-gata’ dyed leather.

Both katagami and katazome have been used in Japan for centuries, with the use
of stencils being recorded as far back as the 6th century. However, they gained an
enormous boost in popularity when Japan opened up its trade with Europe. The
beautifully patterned fabrics became sought after by artists, designers and
wealthy European patrons.

Their designs had a huge impact on the

Arts and Crafts movement throughout
Europe. The patterns were quite rhythmic,
featuring large motifs such as family crests,
umbrellas, boats or birds but especially
flowers, joined by flowing branches and
leaves, floating over a background fill of
dense, small-scale pattern. The flowing
lines, rhythmic spacing of motifs and
background fill can be seen in many of the
designers from around that time.

Today, stencil cutting is a dying art as there are only a very few masters of this
craft still living.
The Process
Making the stencils

Katazome stencils are made by transferring a design to a specially treated paper

and then applying a silk or polyester mesh over it and adhering the mesh with
paint. The traditional paper, shibugami, is made of several layers of handmade
mulberry paper which are strengthened with persimmon tannin and then
smoked. Traditional stencils are carved using a special knife.

Making the paste

Katazome paste is made from a mix of glutinous rice flour, finely ground defatted
rice bran, calx, glycerine, and salt. Each ingredient serves a function:

 The glutinous rice flour, when wetted and steamed, is very sticky and
clings to the fabric, helping the paste adhere during the application of
dye.
 Finely ground defatted rice bran acts as a filler, adding bulk to the
resist, and also decreases the
stickiness of the rice paste so
that it is easier to remove the
paste after dyeing.
 Calx is used to make the
katazome paste more alkaline,
making it more supple and
elastic.
 Glycerine and salt are
humectants that are added to help the paste absorb a little bit of
moisture from the air so that it is flexible enough to not crack off the
fabric when dried.
Applying the paste

Before applying the paste, the fabric

has to be stretched out so that it
doesn’t move while pasting.
Traditionally, this is done by applying
pure glutinous rice paste to a wooden
board, letting it dry, then spritzing it
with water and laying the fabric on the
rice paste. The rice paste is sticky
enough to hold the fabric. The hera, a
wooden spatula used for applying paste is also soaked before application.

Applying the pigments to the prepared

fabric

The cloth is stretched out using clamps

called harite, and bamboo sticks with a
point at each end, called shinshi. The harite
holds the cloth taut lengthwise while the
shinshi holds it taut crosswise. The next
step is to apply the dye or the pigment
across the entire fabric. The cloth is now
left to dry so that the pigment attaches and
binds itself to the fabric. To remove the
katazome paste, the piece is soaked in
warm water until the paste comes off.
A Katazome tiger

Copy this video link and play it in a browser for a demonstration of Katagami and
Katazome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGfnXGpz8iA
GI Tag
“A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific
geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that
origin. In order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in
a given place. In addition, the qualities, characteristics or reputation of the
product should be essentially due to the place of origin. Since the qualities
depend on the geographical place of production, there is a clear link between the
product and its original place of production.”

(https://www.wipo.int/geo_indications/en/)

As mentioned in the history, it is difficult to trace the exact origins of this art as it
is now dying and also there is no as such proof to identify its origin owing to the
the perishable nature of the goods produced. However, this art originated in
Japan and is related to that country only.
Influences of Katazome
“Japanese stencils have seized the imagination of European travellers from the
earliest days of Japan’s opening to the world. However, a specific aesthetic link to
the art of stencils could be found in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. In
Moravia, a small county within the
Empire, Japanese stencils found their
counterpart in Modrotisk, a traditional
blue dying technique. Similar use of blue
printing was traditionally known in some
surrounding areas of what is nowadays
the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

One of the reasons for stencil dying being

so fascinating to Austro-Hungarian
travellers to Japan, art collectors and the
public may be found in the fact that a very
similar method of dyeing fabric was
traditionally known in Moravian regions.
The product of this technology is very
similar to Japanese aizome and katazome.
The Czech name is ´Modrotisk´ which is in
fact the literal translation of the Japanese
´aizome´, meaning blue-print. Indigo was
used as the colour substance, and
patterns were printed with the help of
wooden stamps – a technique very similar to the production of woodblock prints in
Japan. The dyeing process of the Czech Modrotisk folk fabrics resembles the
Japanese dyeing style called katazome in the way it is executed. First, a white linen
sheet is stamped with wooden stamps covered with resist paste. Then the fabric is
dyed repeatedly in indigo solution which gives it very characteristic blue colour.
The dyed fabric is then washed in a very mild solution of sulphuric acid so that a
white pattern appears clearly as the reserve paste is washed away. Reserve paste
causes chemical changes to the fabric so when the fabric is washed, blue colour
has no impact on the white pattern under the reserve paste…………”

(Excerpt from Japanese_katazome_and_Moravian_modrotisk.pdf)

Moravian blue-dyeing techniques dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries from
when the earliest mentions about them can be found. It is believed that
Modrotisk was directly influenced by Japanese dyed textiles but there is no direct
proof of this. While Japanese stencils tend to be produced with astonishingly
detailed precision, Moravian traditional blue print was known for a more folk
look.

Moravian blue print played a critical role in the daily life and festivities of folk
people. The actual motifs printed on the cloth differed according to the area.
Villages had their own patterns that were unique to them. These symbols, mostly
floral and nature derived, did not have a clearly defined meaning outside of the
region of their origin. While in Japanese stencils interpretation of individual
patterns or floral symbols can be made, Moravian blue print symbols’ meaning
was more closely related to the area of their origin and thus did not carry a
universally decipherable message.

Japanese stencils played an important role in the formation of the Art Nouveau or
Jungendstil movement throughout Europe. The growing appreciation of Oriental
art influenced Austro-Hungarian artists greatly. However, while Japanese
katazome represented the outward looking international line of art production,
Moravian traditional blue printing turned
more inwards and became a reminder of
the growing cultural awareness of
individual areas within the Empire.

Nowadays, both Japanese and Moravian

blueprinting methods are considered to
be among the national cultural heritage of
the mentioned countries. After the
collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Contemporary souvenir products of Moravian
Modrotisk
 Contemporary katazome souvenir and gift
products
at the end of the First World War,
Czechoslovakia was formed. Traditional
Modrotisk textiles are still being produced
in several family run businesses across the
Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and
even parts of Austria. Similar to katazome
in Japan, textile products are among
popular souvenirs. Items of contemporary
clothing and decorations are also
produced and growing in popularity. More
than a hundred years after the heyday of katazome and modrotisk, both
techniques are deeply embedded in their countries’ arts and crafts history.
A Dying Art
“KANJI HAMA, 69, has quietly dedicated his life to maintaining the traditional
Japanese craft of katazome: stencil-printed indigo-dyed kimonos made according
to the manner and style of the Edo period. He works alone seven days a week from
his home in Matsumoto, Nagano, keeping indigo fermentation vats brewing in his
backyard and cutting highly detailed patterns into handmade paper hardened
with persimmon tannins to create designs for a craft for which there is virtually no
market. Nearly identical-looking garments can be had for a pittance at any
souvenir store…

...MATSUMOTO, WHICH IS roughly

halfway between Tokyo and Kyoto, was
once a center for the Japanese folk craft
movement of the 1930s through the
1950s, which recognized and celebrated
the beauty of regional, handcrafted
everyday objects, or mingei. Hama’s
grandfather was part of that movement
and a pioneer in reviving natural dyeing
after its obsolescence…

…HAMA IS COGNIZANT that what he

knows will likely die along with him. Like
many masters of traditional crafts in
Japan, Hama does not believe in writing
down the process, because the craft is
understood to be so much more than its
individual steps and thus impossible to
transmit through written instruction. Indigo dyeing like this is a way of life, and to
the extent to which Hama is a master, he possesses not just his own knowledge
but, in a very real way, his father’s and his father’s father’s knowledge. This kind
of embodied, tacit expertise doesn’t translate easily into English as it involves the
very un-Western idea of the body and the intellect working in unison, masterfully
and efficiently, as if in a dance. There is a chance his son will take on the business,
but Hama thinks this generation is incapable of putting in the time it takes to gain
the mastery of a craft like this. But who would? It takes 10 years of apprenticing
just to become proficient. And to what end? It is nearly impossible to earn a
living….”

(Excerpt from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/26/t-magazine/traditional-

indigo-dyeing-japan.html)

Katazome factories were traditionally located in Kyoto, Japan. But recently, many
of the factories have been forced to close and the few that remain open have a
limited number of days. The demand for this product in the market has
decreased: Katazome was primarily used in kimonos and the number of people
who wear it is dwindling. Though the youngsters in Japan buy kimonos for certain
occasions, they don’t search for the authentic one, rather they wear something
that has the shape of a kimono. This has had a negative impact on the industry.
People are not interested in this industry anymore. There are many old artisans
with no successors to pass their knowledge to and a business cannot continue
without successors. Even if a youngster is interested in learning this art, he puts
his livelihood in danger. It takes nearly ten years to learn this art and perfect it
enough to the levels of making fabrics of this style. But with no economical
support, ten years is along time to survive. This craft is dying.

Use this video link to watch a documentary on Katazome:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wz2i5mzalQ
Contemporization
To revive the craft, some dedicated designers are trying to incorporate the
katazome patterns into their dresses, if not the technique, to atleast create an
awareness and sensitivity towards the art. Apart from this many workshops
are being held that teach people the Katagami and Katazome technique.
Efforts are being made to bring katazome in the mainstream culture.

John Elliott’s new capsule collection celebrates versatility by combining

American sportswear with traditional Japanese craft in a series of shibori and
katazome dyed sweatshirts and tees. These crafts can be integrated into
relatively mainstream styles because indigo has been used by people across
the world for centuries. While each culture has its own particulars, indigo has
been a sartorial common ground for centuries. Perhaps this explains why
designers are returning to these ages-old crafts now—they have a way of
elevating even the simplest wardrobe basics.

Sarah Desmarais is a textile designer and crafts researcher. She produces

hand-printed textiles with the traditional materials of Japanese katazome. Her
designs derive from drawing and mark making in a variety of wild and
weathered landscapes. Her work celebrates the value of slow making and its
potential to contribute to a more sustainable culture of textile production and
consumption.

Toba Mika is an artist who uses the katazome technique in her artwork to create
exquisite paintings and thus has developed a new style of painting.
Green Patched Military Jacket, with
Katazome, Shippou and Boro
References
https://www.tienchiu.com/how-tos/dyeing-and-surface-design/katazome/

https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=prp

https://www.christinevanderheide.com/katazome/uibyf20q4nyovozudwarlerlsv8
b68 (pictures)

http://toba-mika.net/en/index.html#news

https://www.washiarts.com/katazome

http://www.johnmarshall.to/H-WhatIsKatazome.htm

https://patternobserver.com/2015/01/20/history-surface-design-katagami-
katazome/

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2130115078272/how-contemporary-
designers-are-putting-a-new-spin-on-ancient-natural-indigo

https://www.japansociety.org.uk/event?event=157&eventcat=1

https://www.sarahdesmarais.com/

https://kirikomade.com/blogs/our-fabrics/15314847-katazome