International studio (42.1910)

Japanese Art and Artists of To day.—III. Textiles and Embroidery

of rice, called a resist, brushed over
the crape instead of the colour.
This when dry leaves on the crape
the exact pattern of the stencil in
rice paste. The crape is then dyed,
and subsequently the rice paste is
removed by washing, with the result
that the pattern is left in white on a
coloured ground. This method is
called in Japan " Shiro Nuki." In
all stencils two small holes will
always be found at the edge of the
pattern; these are register points,
enabling the dyer to repeat the
design without any flaw where the
pattern joins. On further examina-
silk embroidery : "Japanese chin dog" tion many stencil plates will be

designed by nishimura sobei, kioto found whh another devjce cut jn the

margin. This is an indicator or
several strands of reeled silk ; but previous to use register mark to enable the dyer to arrange for
some of the threads are twisted alternately to the the accurate fitting of a series of stencil plates
right and the left on a special machine. After one over the other, a method resorted to in
weaving, the fabric is placed in a bath and shrinks order to attain the more elaborate results arrived
rapidly, thus causing the twisted threads to pro-
duce the wavy appearance so much admired.
Beautiful examples of this are to be seen in the
exhibition, on which the pattern has been printed
by a series of stencil plates and resists.

These stencil plates, of which several examples
are reproduced among the accompanying illus-
trations, are amongst the wonders achieved by
the Japanese craftsman—a statement which will
be fully appreciated when it is recognised that
each of the stencils for these elaborate designs
has been either pierced with an awl or cut
out by the stencil-cutter with a long thin knife,
which cuts through the paper of the drawing and
several other folds of paper at the same time. In
order to secure an absolutely accurate reproduction
of the pattern on the crape, two of these stencils
are selected and single pieces of hair, sufficiently
strong to keep the most delicate parts of the
stencils in place and yet so fine as not to hinder the
spread of the colour, are stretched from side to
side. Then the two stencil plates are pasted to-
gether, and with such marvellous accuracy that
even if they are examined with a powerful magnify-
ing glass no overlapping in the designs will be
found. The brush used is a broad flat brush with
just sufficient colour to cover the space required.

The simplest way of using these stencils is by
reproducing the pattern in colour on a white

ground. But sometimes the stencil is placed on «yuzen» or sjlk crape dyed whh "ai"

the crape, and a sort of strong gum compounded designed by s. tonomura, osaka

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