Katagami, connected ox-cart wheel (Genji-guruma) pattern, Meiji period, 19th century, private collection

Chugata Suo, cart wheel (Genji-guruma) and wave (Seigaiha) pattern on light blue linen, Edo period, 19th century, Japan Arts Council - National Noh Theatre

Bingata katagami, pine and plum pattern, Ryukyu Kingdom period, 18th-19th century, Suntory Museum of Art

Bingata Kimono, weeping cherry tree, swallow, flowing water, dragon, and floral pattern, Ryukyu Kingdom period, 18th-19th century, private collection

The art of paper stencils, called katagami, has been handed down in Japan as a core technique in stencil dyeing. It is not widely known, however, that in the nineteenth century katagami were exported through world expositions and other occasions to Western Europe, where their motifs had a great impact on craft designs and decorative art.

The Katagami — Paper Stencils and Japonisme exhibition will unravel the history of katagami stencils. At the same time, through numerous posters, jewelry, textiles, books, furniture, metalwork, and other objects, it will look into the influences of katagami on Western European design in the context of the decorative art movement.

Duration:	Thursday, October 19, 2006, to Saturday, January 20, 2007
Venue:	Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris (The Japan Cultural Institute in Paris)
Supervisors:	Akiko Mabuchi, Professor, Department of Humanities and Cultures, Japan Women's University Iwao Nagasaki, Professor, Kyoritsu Women's University Yoko Takagi, Professor, Bunka Fashion Graduate University
Organized by:	The Japan Foundation Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris The Association for Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris
In cooperation with:	Kyoritsu Women's University
Supported by:	Japan Airlines, Domaine de Belesbat (bsi group)

In conjunction with the exhibition, lectures will be held at the Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris:
Thu., October 19, 2006: “Katagami and Japonisme” by Akiko Mabuchi
Wed., December 13, 2006: “The History of Stencil Dyeing in Japan” by Iwao Nagasaki
For details please see:
http://www.mcjp.asso.fr/psept2006/expo/ (in French)

*Exhibition catalogs (in French only) will be available for purchase at Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris and the JFIC Library of the Japan Foundation in Tokyo.

Contact: (Mr.) Takeshita or (Ms.) Yamada, Visual Arts Div., Japan Foundation
Phone: 03-5369-6062Fax: 03-5369-6038

Félix Vallotton, Idleness, 1896, The Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art/The Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum

Katagami, geometric pattern, 19th century, Blanche and Bertrand Bellon Collection

René Lalique, “Cherry Blossom” Comb, c. 1902-1903, Lalique Museum, Hakone

Philippe Wolfers, Toiletry Box, 1916, Belgian Royal Museum of Art and History (Inv.7758)