Katagami stencil depicting hollyhock (Asarum caulescens) leaves

Katagami stencil depicting 'hollyhock' ( Asarum caulescens ) leaves. A fine mesh of supporting threads made of silk is sandwiched between two layers of this stencil. This stencil is of the koban size class (determined by the repeat length). 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.