About Katazome Noribōsen

Katazome is a traditional Japanese dyeing technique with a long history. One form of Katazome, and the technique in which I specialize, is Katazome Noribōsen (Stencil and rice-paste resist dyeing). It uses stencils and resist paste to dye patterns onto fabric, and is characterized by its ability to create a wide variety of pictorial designs, much like painting.

The technique has a long history. Surviving examples dating from Japan's Kamakura period (1185–1333) have been found and are believed to have been produced using this method. Katazome techniques using stencils without resist paste have an even longer history, dating back to the Heian period (794–1185).

Taking advantage of their distinctive suitability for repeated production, while also incorporating patterns and forms of expression from other techniques, these dyeing methods reached their height during the Edo period.

During the Meiji period (1868–1912), new technologies such as synthetic dyes and mechanized textile printing were introduced. As technology continued to advance, roller printing and eventually screen printing using photographic stencils became possible. As machine-based textile printing became dominant, the number of people working with traditional techniques gradually declined.

Under these circumstances, however, some artists began to use Katazome with a greater emphasis on artistic expression rather than mass production. Through their work, Katazome developed into a medium for artistic expression.
Thus, following the Industrial Revolution, Katazome broadly developed along two paths:

1. Preserved under national protection as a traditional technique, strictly maintaining techniques and forms of expression handed down from earlier generations to the present day.

2. Used by artists as a medium for artistic expression, developing into new forms while reflecting the changing times.

My research belongs to the second of these paths.
In my doctoral research, I examined the works of three representative artists who created works using Katazome Noribōsen, investigating how each artist developed the technique and established it as a means of artistic expression.

Building on this research, I repeatedly experimented through my own artistic practice and developed my own perspective on the creation of pictorial works using Katazome, as well as kimono conceived and created as works of art.

With this background, my works are not craft objects intended for everyday use, but are created as works of art. In particular, my large-scale garments in the form of kimono represent a mode of expression that I have developed independently through many years of research and artistic practice.

Each of my works possesses a world of its own and invites the viewer into its realm.

When you stand before one of my works, the world into which it may carry you is left entirely to your own imagination.

©︎23.08.2026　Mari Nerome