Logic of Rain: A Unique Collection of Japanese Katagami Stencils for Dyeing Kimono Fabrics

A unique collection of rare Japanese katagami stencils from Dresden's Museum of Decorative Arts.

For 125 years, the Museum of Decorative Arts at Dresden's Pillnitz Palace has been home to a treasure trove of Japanese craftsmanship that has remained largely unknown. It consists of ninety-two cassettes holding more than 15,000 dyeing stencils for textile printing. These katagami were used primarily for fabrics from which the kimonos of samurais were tailored. They depict geometric ornaments as well as patterns and motifs in nature handmade from mulberry bark in a lengthy process and engraved using the finest cutting techniques. Fabrics decorated with katagami prints came to Europe in the nineteenth century and soon had a strong influence on fine and applied art as well as emerging industrial design. This ancient technique remains influential today in graffiti and street art, such as in the works of celebrated street artist Banksy.

The Logic of Rain features for the first time around 140 katagami from the unique Dresden collection. This opulent book is dedicated to the representation of rain and water, which have been of major spiritual and cultural significance throughout Japan's history. Two hundred and twenty illustrations, most presented in full color, are supplemented with essays by international scholars who explore in detail all aspects of these fascinating works of Japanese applied art.