“Kawari Mimasu-tsunagi” (Variation for three overlapped squares) pattern

This "Kawari Mimasu-tsunagi" (Variation for three overlapped squares) pattern shows three different sized squares representing a large, medium and small masu or square sake cup, incorporated with stripe patterns. This is one style variation of the traditional Mimasu-tsunagi. Ichikawa Danjūrō I (1660-1704) created a dramatic lightening effect for Kabuki theatre; and from the pattern of that effect he developed the Mimasu-tsunagi pattern.The Ichikawa Kabuki theatre actor family still use Mimasu-tsunagi as their family crest. This is one of around 400 Japanese katagami stencils which are part of the Silver Studio Collection. The stencils were produced in Japan as a way of applying patterns to fabric, mainly kimonos. The katagami collected by the Silver Studio were used by their designers as reference material to produce their own Japanese-inspired patterns. This Katagami employed the Itoire technique. This is one method of silk thread reinforcement in Katagami. Itoire was a detailed technique which was applied to Katagami by veteran female artisans at Shiroko, Ise, from about 1750. Itoire was used until 1920. See Markham, Mamiko (2018): Katagami technique Itoire. Middlesex University Journal contribution. https://doi.org/10.22023/mdx.6477776.v1