'Hanabishi' (diamond-shaped flower) pattern is a design of four flower petals in a diamond shape. It was derived from the shape of a water chestnut. In the latter half of the Edo period (1787-1867), Hanabishi patterns of various shapes other than the diamond were created for the costumes of Oiran-geisyas and Kabuki opera actors. The shape of Hanabishi for these Katagami designs was composed of round petals rather than the diamond shape, giving a more appealing impression. Geisha wore Hanabishi (diamond-shaped flower) patterned Kimono with fashionable effect in the late Edo period (1780-1867).
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.
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