Katagami

“Katagami” is an old Japanese stencil image which has been laser cut in museum board. It is archival, light weight, sturdy & affordable. Hanging in a window or back lit, it provides a dramatic screen that lets light in but offers privacy. Color seen through the myriad holes often appears like stained glass.

The cut board, sandwiched between two strips of wood & secured with small bolts & nuts, can be placed in a window but is also dramatic as a free hanging panel. This design is also suitable for metal or wood panels or shogi screens.

Traditional Japanese katagami stencils were used to print resist paste or dye onto fabric. It was a laborious process starting with making paper from mulberry bark that was then coated with fermented persimmon juice & smoked, like hams, to produce a paper that would not stretch in any direction. The tools to cut the stencils were passed down through generations & over time the graphic images were refined with dramatic clarity.