MoDA’s katagami stencils date from the late ninteenth century. They represent one of the largest and most significant public collections of katagami in Britain (others are at the V&A Museum in London, and at Leeds University).
The katagami in MoDA’s Silver Studio Collection are among our most popular objects. They hold a fascination for students and creative practitioners because of the intricacy of their cutting and the beauty and stylisation of the motifs depicted.
Explore our collection below, and have a look at the short online reading list on the influence of Japan that we have put together
Katagami stencils were originally made in Japan, but now many thousands are held in museums and private collections in the rest of the world. One example is the Katagami Project, based in the United States. We’re looking forward to building links with other collections to promote interest in these fascinating objects. If you are interested please join the Katagami Network on LinkedIn.
View the katagami stencils in our collection
Funded Project: Katagami in Practice (2016-18)
A project to focus on katagami as a source of inspiration for artists and designers, both historically and today
(2007) Funded Conservation: Japanese materials
A grant from the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation helped to improve our knowledge of the Japanese items in our collections.
How people have been inspired by the Katagami stencils
Drawing Thoughts, Deconstructing Patterns
How a workshop used drawing as a means of exploring the Japanese stencils, or katagami, from MoDA’s collection
Cecilia Hughes: Katagami Stencils
Cecilia Hughes writes engagingly about the visual excitement of katagami stencils
Dr Sarah Desmarais: Drawing Inspiration from Katagami Stencils
Sarah Desmarais uses drawing techniques to get to know the katagami through practical engagement.