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MoDAkatagamistencilsgeneralbackgroundnotesTheseresearchnoteswerecompiledbyAliceHumphrey(ULITA,LeedsUniversity),fortheMuseumofDomesticDesignandArchitecture,inMay2014.TheyprovideatechnicalanalysisofthekatagamiinMODA’scollectionandacomparisonwiththoseheldatULITA.

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ThekatagamicollectionatMoDAconsistsof:stencilsforrepeatpatterningofclothingfabric(abouthalfthecollection):

K2.17

K2.63

Therearealsoanumberoflarger,non-repeatingdesigns(roughly50),andsquareindividualplantmotifs(approx150).IthasbeensuggestedthatthesewereproducedfortheWesternmarket:K8.36

K7.30

Therearealsooffprintsfrommostofthestencils,andsomeoffprintswithoutmatchingstencils.

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Katagamistencilsaremostlyresistprintedusingricepastethroughthestencilthendyeingtheclothusuallywithindigothereforeinmanycases,theoffprintsrepresentthenegativeimageofthefinisheddesign.Incontemporarypractice,dyesaresometimespaintedthroughthestenciltoproducemulticoloureddesignsfromasinglestencil.However,dyeswereintroducedbylatenineteenthcenturywhichcouldbemixedintothepasteandapplieddirectlytothestencil(the?Westernmarketstencilsareprobablydirect-dyedthroughthestencil).

Thestencilsaremadeofpapermadefrominnerbarkofthepapermulberrytree.Thepaperusedinstencilswassometimesrecycledfromoldledgers.Instencilproduction,thepaperistannedwithsmokeorpersimmonjuicetomakeitstrongerandwaterproof,thoughthisprocessalsomakesthepapermorebrittleinthelong-termhencethebreakingaroundtheedgeofsomeofthestencils.

DomesticmarketstencilsThestencilsforpatterningclothingfabricareofthreesizeclasses:sansunokuri,kobanandchūban.Allstencilsareroughlythesamewidth–36cmthestandardwidthoffabric,sansunokurihavetheshortestrepeatlength(around11cm),kobanhavearepeatlengtharound15cm.Chūbanhavearepeatlengthofaround20-22cm,theywereintroducedwhenstencilprintedfabricincreasedinpopularitytospeedupproduction.SeveraloftheMoDAstencilsdonotfitwithintherepeatlengthrangesgivenbyKuo(1998,p.95),thestencilsintheULITAcollectionshowsimilardisparitywithKuo’ssizeclassessothismayjustreflectvariationpossiblyforconvenienceofthepatternsizeorevenpapersizegiventhatitisrecycled.

BecauseclothinJapaneseclothingrunsoverthefrontandbackwithnoshoulderseam,thepatterningrunsinbothdirectionsonstencilsdesignedforclothingfabricuse(occasionallystencilsrepeatboth

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horizontallyandvertically,thoughnoneofthistypewerenotedinMoDA’scollection).Stencilsofatypelargerthanchūbantendedtobeusedforgiftwrappingcloths,towels,bannersorshopsignsandtohavenon-repeatingdesignsorientatedinasingledirection.

MotifsK2.36Chineseflower(karahana)andblossom

K2.45chrysanthemum

K2.51orchid

K2.50

Thestencilsfeatureahighnumberofplantand,particularly,flower

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motifswhichmaywellrepresenttheselectionpreferencesoftheSilverStudioorthedealerstheyboughtfrom.

MoDA’scollectionappearstohavearelativelylowrepresentationofmotifsthatwerecommoninJapanbutnotreadilymeaningfultoaWesternmarketsuchastheSevenTreasures(K4.9above)whicharecommonintherepresentationofcostumeinprints.

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ThereisalsoalowrepresentationofnarrativestencilsrepresentingJapanesefolkstoriesandusuallyalsowithanauspiciousconnotation.Theexampleabove(K2.5)includesacockerelsittingonadrumwhichisassociatedwithaChineseemperorwhoruledwiselyandpeacefully,sodrumsforwarningofapproachingenemiesbecameovergrownandusedasaperchbycockerels.OnlyoneotherstencilintheMoDAcollectionhasacurrentlyidentifiednarrativeassociation–K3.28representingthestoryofUrashimaTaro(seecataloguerecord).

Themeaningofthemotifsonthestencilsvariesaccordingtomotifcombinatione.g.peoniesmaybeasummerfloweror,combinedwithaChineselionmayrepresentpowerandtheelite.Meaningalsovariesaccordingtocontext–distributionofpatterningonthegarmentmaye.g.differentiatebetweenclothingforamarriedorunmarriedwoman;colouralsoplaysapartininterpretation,bothofwhichcreateproblemsinidentifyinggarmenttypeandgenderfromstencilssoallthegeneralpointsbelowneedtobeconsideredwithcaution.

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Status

Inreferencetostatus,someofthestencilshaveimageryassociatedwitheliteorclassicalculturesuchaspoemcards(K7.49)andmusicalinstruments(K2.39drums).The16-petalledchrysanthemum(presentonstencilsK2.110,K3.1andK3.17)isinteresting–onerepresentationofthe16-petalledchrysanthemumisusedastheimperialcrestandvariantsonthiswereusedbyothermembersoftherulingfamily;asagovernmentemblem(e.g.onpassports)andwithanassociationtoShintosopossiblythesedesignswereforacivilservant’sorpriest'sclothingalthough,bythelateninteenthcentury,restrictionsonmon(crests)weremorerelaxedsoitmaybethatgeneralpopulacewouldhavebeenpermittedtousethismotif.

Stencillingcouldbeusedforhighstatusgarmentsbutembroidery,handpaintingandpossiblytie-dyeseemtohavebeenmorecommontechniquesforthehigheststatusgarments.ThereisnoevidenceintheMoDAcollectionoftheidiosyncraticeverydayimagery(e.g.tools,householditems)whichwereadoptedascrestsordecorativepatterningbymerchantsandruralpopulations–quitelikelytobeaproductofWesternselection.

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Seasons

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Broadlyspeaking,thestencilsseemtobedominatedbyautumnalmotifs,K2.43withhares(associatedwiththemoonandthereforewithAutumnand‘Autumngrasses’)providesagoodexampleofAutumnimagery.Snowflakesand‘puffed’sparrows(i.e.feathersfluffedup)arecommonWintermotifs.Cherryblossom(e.g.K1.18andseecatalogueforothers)isaclassiclateSpringmotifandSummerismostlyrepresentedinthecollectionbywisteria(e.g.K1.2)alsobymandarinorange(K2.41above).

GenderTherepresentationofpatterninginprintsshowingJapanesecostumemakeitdifficulttoidentifyadefinitegendersplitinimagery.Inbroadterms,thehighpresenceofflowersmeansthatthemajorityofstencilsinthiscollectionareprobablyforwomen’sclothingalthoughsomeflowerse.g.peoniesandchrysanthemumsaregenderneutralinJapaneseculture,orthegendermaybesetbythecolourinwhichthedesignisprinted.

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Typicalimagerymen’sclothingismotifsmorerelatedtonaturalforcese.g.lightning,clouds,roughwater.StencilsfromMoDA’scollectionwhichmaybeformen’scostumeincludeK3.19(left)–bothdragonsandwarfansaremaleassociatedmotifsand,possibly,K2.85(thoughexamplesof‘roughwater’arealsofoundonwomen’scostume).

Incidentalnotesaboutmotifnames‘AutumnGrasses’and‘SpringGrasses’areconventionaltermsforgroupsofclassicseasonalplantsonlyoneofthemisactuallyagrass.TheAutumngrassesarebellflower,miscanthus,kudzu,bushclover,easternvalerian,bonesetEupatoriumfortuneiandcarnation.TheSpringGrasses(alsoassociatedwithNewYear,whichfellinSpringinthelunarcalendar)areturnip,radish,shepherd’spurse,Japaneseparsley(waterdropwort),cudweed,nipplewortandchickweed.The‘hollyhock’isanothereccentricityofEnglishterminologyinthattheplantknownas‘hollyhock’inJapanesedecorationisactuallyAsarumcaulescensnothollyhock–theconfusionhasarisenduetoasimilarityintheJapanesenameforhollyhockandA.caulescenssothe,common,hollyhockleafmotif(crestoftheTokugawaclan)doesn’tresemblearealhollyhockleaf.

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Stencilstructure

fromKuo(1998p.98)

Somestencilprinteddesignsusedtwoormorestencilstocompletethefinishedpatterneithertohidesupportingstructuresusedinstencilswithlargeresistedareasortoapplypatterninginmorethanonecolour.Twotypesofregistrationmarksareusedonthestencils–thoseforaddingdetailorhidingtiebarsinacomplexpattern–smalldots,positionedasymmetricallytoensurecorrectorientationandthoseforcreatingmulti-coloureddesignscutinornearthemarginofthestencil.Thiscollectionseemsrelativelyunusualinhavingfullsetsofstencilsavailableforseveralofthemulti-stencildesigns.

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tiebarsonK2.71meshsupportK2.12stitchedsupportonK1.24

Aswellaspapertiebars,supportingstructuresforthestencilscouldbecreatedwithsilkmesh;thedesignwouldbecutintoseveralstackedsheetsofpaperandthesegluedtogetheraspairswiththemeshsandwichedbetweenthepages.StitchedsupportisusedtoholdthecentralringsinplaceonK1.24andalsousedonotherstencilsinthecollectiontorepairthem.

CuttingtechniquesFivemaintechniquesareusedinstencilcutting–drawcutting(hikibori)withthebladedrawntowardsthebodyisthemaincontemporarytechniquebutwastraditionallyusedforcuttingfinestripepatterns.Thrustcutting(tsukibori),wherethebladeisheldfacingawayfromthebodywiththepapermanipulatedaroundthebladeandasaw-likeactionworkingthroughaholeintheboardisusedforcutting.Itisnotclearwhetherhikiboriwasusedexclusivelyforstripesorwhenittookoverfromtsukiborisoeitheroneofthesetechniquesmayhavebeenusedfortheelaboraterepresentationaldesignsinthecollection.Chiselcutting(ichimaizuki)maybeusedforcuttinglatticepatterns.Smallrepeatingdesignsmaybeknifecutorcutwithanawl(kiribori)orwithshapedpunches(dōgubori).

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ImitationofstitchresistdyeingandikatweavingSeveralofthestencilshaveimitationsofshibori(stitchortieresisttechniques).Thetypesimitatedonthestencilsare:

Kanoko-verysmallsquarescreatedbyfoldingandpinchingasmalltipoffabricaroundwhichthreadiswoundtocreatetheresistedrings(onK2.14,nextpage).Severaldifferenttypesofkanokoexistaccordingtothearrangementandpreciseshapeofthedots.

ULITAstencilno.523(presentonMoDAstencilsbutnoexamplesphotographed)

Miurashibori–anotherwoundthreadresistwithalargerandmoreirregularringthankanoko.

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Kumoshibori–threadiswoundinahelicalpatternaroundgatheredfabrictocreateaneffectresemblingacobweb(bottomrightofK2.41above).

Ori-nuishibori–linesoftightlygatheredrunningstitchwhichcreatearesisteffectresemblingteetheithersideoftheline(K2.41above).

Kasuri(ikatweave)effectsinwhichthepatternisdyedintothewarp(andsometimesalsoweft)threadsbeforeweavingcreatingafeatheredeffectarealsoimitated(aboveK2.14andK2.11).

TextSeveralofthestencilshavedealer’sstampsandcarvedtextintheformofkana(syllabiccharacters)andkanji(wordcharacters).

Non-repeatingdesignsThemajorityofnonrepeatingdesignswithinMoDA’scollectionarebelievedtobeforanexportmarketbutthereareasmallgroupofdesignswhichincludemotifssuchaspreciousobjectssuggestinga

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domesticmarket.Theseareoblong,haveaborderandhavesmallmotifsorrepeatinggeometricdesignsratherthansinglelargepictorialimage.

Itseemsmostlikelythatthesearetenugui(towels/handwipingcloths,sometimesalsofoldedasheadbands)becausetheyseemmoreoftentohavesmallrepeatpatternsthanfuroshiki(giftwrappingcloths)whichareusuallysquarewithlargerepresentationalimagerybutIhavenotcomeacrossexamplesoftenuguiwithbordersasthesehave.

PossibleWesternmarketstencilsThesedesignsallfeatureeitherindividualplantsorgroupsofplantsinanaturalsetting.MostaremorerealisticdepictionsthanaretypicaloftheusualJapanesemarketstencils.ThelargedesignsseemtobeatleastsuperficiallysimilarinsubjecttoJapanesehangingscrollsforthedomesticmarketthemajorityofwhicharepainted.

Twotentativepossibilitiesforthesestencilsarethattheywereeitherintendedtocreaterelativelymassproducedimitationsofhangingscrollsfortheexportmarketorthattheymayhavebeenproducedfor

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exportasstencilstobeusedtocreatedecorationonwallsandpanelingasintheimagebelow.

StencilinginaJapaneseinfluencedroomatParaParaMansion,SouthAustralia,mid19th

century.FromForge(1981,p.139)

Noequivalentexampleshaveyetbeenfoundtothesmallfloral

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stencils(e.g.K6.5above)excepttosuggestthattheymayhavebeenusedtocreateikatweavingthreadpatterns(nineteenthcenturyonwards)whichDusenbury(1993,p.68)describesastypicallybeingnaturalistic.Theydonotseemtostronglyresembletypicalpictorialikatdesigns(e-gasuri)sothissuggestionisfarfromcertain.

ExtractfromDusenbury(1993)relatingtostenciluseine-gasuri.

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ReferencesKuo,S.C.(1998)CarvedPaper:theArtoftheJapaneseStencil

Dusenbury,M.(1993)KasuriinW.J.Rathbun(ed.)BeyondtheTanabataBridge:TraditionalJapaneseTextilesThamesandHudson

Forge,S.(1981)VictorianSplendour,AustralianInteriorDecoration1837-1901.OUP

Youtubevideosshowingvariousaspectsofstencilmakingandprintinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMRwL5PxG2s

papermaking

http://www.wadazen.com/index.html

Thefourlinksunderthesecondblackheadingarevideosofsharpeningtools,transferringadesigntothepaperandcuttingthestencil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGfnXGpz8iA

OverviewofthewholeprocessofmakingandusingthestencilproducedbytheCooperHewittMuseum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76TGlrTM6ZM

Transferringthedesign,cuttingthestencilandbrushdyeingtocreateamulticoloureddesignwithasinglestencil

Thethreefilmsbelowshowchugatastencildyeing–asemiindustrialisedprocessinwhichthefabricisstackedfordoublesideddyeingbysoakingdyethroughthestackoffabricsheets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7uotax_lMM

applyingpastethroughastencilforchugatadyeing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWrRzP7thyQ

Processofdyeingsecondpartofabove

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtZrj0N5xus

Processofdyeing