Mulberry paper (kozo washi) treated with fermented persimmon tannin (kakishibu), and silk threads (itoire)
Type:
textile designs
Katagami
Object Name:
Katagami
Made in:
Japan
Date:
mid 18th - early 19th century
Catalogue Status:
Research in Progress
Description:
In Japan, firefighters would use a unit called a matoi to put out fires. Each firehouse would have a unique matoi. This stencil represents team four. Edo is also known as the city of fires since houses were built from timber and paper. There were five hundred major fires known between 1951 and 1867. Matoi is a popular motif in ukiyo-e prints from the nineteenth century.
