katazome textile p a n e l #1, Japan, early Meiji (circa 1870), cm179x34. Katazome cloth showing a rare repeated pattern of takanoha (hawk feathers) and swastikas on a geometrical background. Katazome is a resist dye technique in which a paste of rice flour and bran is applied to cloth through a cut paper stencil (katagami). This paste is applied with a flat, blunt tool or a brush: where the paste has been pushed onto the cloth, dye will not penetrate. Dyes can be applied using an immersion method, by hand tinting, or by a combination of these applications, depending on the complexity of the desired effect. Three to five such panels were often sewn together to obtain a futon cover. The cotton is homespun and dyed in botanical indigo. Age-related wrinkles. For the discerning eye.