The Okitsu River at Okitsu (Station # 18)

Catalog note / 解説

In this print, note the single-layered indigo-blue summer wear with large repetitious patterns typical of katazome, stencil-dyed fabrics. Katazome, a traditional rice-paste resist technique, has been practiced in Japan since at least the sixteenth century. Rice paste is applied to fabric through a paper stencil cut in specific designs, after which the cloth is dipped in an indigo dye bath. The paste prevents dye from penetrating the design areas, thus creating bold white patterns against an indigo-blue ground. A style of katazome that used large patterns, or chugata (medium sized stencil), was developed during the Edo period and frequently used to decorate commoners' cotton clothing. A deta…