“Fukiyose” (Leaves drifting in the wind) katagami stencil

"Fukiyose" (Leaves drifting in the wind) pattern symbolises "gathering happiness". It was a useful Kimono pattern that people could wear any season of the year. It is a type of high-value pattern for Kyoto-style kimono. When seen from far away, textiles featuring this pattern seem to be a solid colour. In truth, they are actually "Komon", (fine patterns), made up of very small details. It was also said that the finer the pattern, the more prestigious the wearer. In contrast, "Edo Komon" were the standard wear for samurai and courtiers of the day in the middle Edo period (1692-1779). Unlike the simple and stylish designs of "Edo-komon", which used fine geometrical patterns, the feature of "Kyoto-komon" was colorful and free designs based on the "Kyoto yuzen(dyeing)" patterns. Therefore, its single pattern was larger and its appearance was more luxurious than Edo-komon, and it was more realistic than abstract in design. In the late Edo period (1780 - 1867), actors started to wear "Komon" and it became the stylish attire of the Edo area. After that it was all the fashion and spread nationwide. As the sophisticated ultimate Edo culture that embodied 'Iki', the ideal chic or stylish Eco culture, Komon had a decisive impact for the fashion culture. 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.