“Araiso” (water climbing) (by Carp) pattern katagami stencil

A Japanese katagami stencil depicting carp in water. Carp in rough water or leaping a waterfall are emblematic of advancement and achievement. 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.