Stencil Item Number: Ed5.3088 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
The light brown rectangular stencil has an overall komon cut design of a linear pattern consisting of crescents and dots, with the direction of the crescent reversing in each line. Two crescent shaped register points are located along the bottom edge and a dot on one side of the design. Two joined circles are punched out in a lower corner.
The katazome method of dying fabric used a resist paste applied through a stencil; when the paste dried the stencil was removed and colour was applied by brush. The paste was then washed away leaving undyed areas to form pattern against coloured ground. Prior to the 16th century cut stencils were used to colour leather armour. However, during the Edo Period (1603-1868) the technique was developed as a true native craft. Komon is a small overall design used for restrained monochrome patterns on apparel of samurai and townsfolk.
fabric printing