Ise Katagami is a nearly millennium-old Japanese craft of creating exquisitely carved paper stencils for traditional textile resist-dyeing (katazome). Crafted from layered, persimmon-tannin-stiffened Mino washi, these stencils are meticulously cut using advanced techniques—stripe carving, picture carving, tool-carving, and pointillist hole carving—often reinforced with silk threads for stability. Originating in Ise and flourishing under Edo patronage, these stencils have long been essential to kimono design and exerted influence on Western decorative arts during the Japonism movement. Though modern changes challenge the craft’s survival, preservation efforts, museum exhibitions, and new creative applications (like lighting designs) continue to sustain and honor the
artistry of Ise Katagami.