Edo Sarasa: Flowers and Birds in Turquoise and Yellow-Green Gama‑guchi Pouch

Sarasa originated in India more than 3,000 years ago and spread across Asia and Europe, developing in ways that reflected the cultures of each region. It is believed to have reached Japan during the Muromachi and Momoyama periods, between the 14th and 16th centuries.

Edo Sarasa emerged from the middle to the late Edo period. By the closing years of the period, stencil-printing specialists had established a distinctly Japanese form of sarasa that became widely known.

Its designs often stylize flowers, plants, birds, animals, and human figures, combining an exotic visual character with the climate and aesthetic sensibilities of Japan. Depending on the design, artisans layer color through approximately 20 stencils, or as many as 90 for more intricate patterns.

Subtle shading, softly blended effects, delicate tonal gradations, and a subdued palette shaped by Tokyo's water are defining characteristics of the craft.

About the Making Process

Edo Sarasa is created by layering multiple stencils and colors by hand to form patterns on cotton or silk.
Even a relatively simple design may require 20 to 30 stencils, while an intricate pattern may use as many as 90.
The artisan plans the palette around the fabric's ground color and the customer's order, then mixes the dyes with careful attention to how the colors will appear when layered.

1. Making the Stencils

• Sheets of handmade washi are laminated with persimmon tannin to form traditional stencil paper.
• The design is cut into the prepared paper to create the stencils.

2. Planning the Ground Color and Palette

• The artisan considers the fabric's ground color and the customer's order when selecting the colors for the pattern.
• The full palette is planned with careful attention to the appearance of overlapping colors.

3. Dyeing the Ground Color

• Cotton or silk fabric is given its ground color using hikizome, a method of applying dye across the fabric with a brush.
• This establishes the overall color of the cloth before the patterned colors are applied.

4. Preparing the Printing Paste and Dyes

• A printing paste is prepared from glutinous rice flour, rice bran, salt, and other ingredients for use in stencil dyeing.
• The dyes are mixed with careful consideration of how each color will appear when layered with the others.

5. Hand Stencil Dyeing

• Each stencil is positioned on the fabric, and color is rubbed through it by hand with a brush.
• Depending on the design, approximately 20 to 90 stencils are carefully aligned and used in succession to build the pattern.
• The artisan adjusts the pressure and movement of the brush to create subtle shading, softly blended effects, and delicate tonal gradations.

MAKER · OCHIAI, TOKYO

A Dyeing Culture Carried by a Community

Some-no-Sato Ochiai preserves more than finished textiles. It carries forward the knowledge of how designs are drawn, stencils are cut, color is judged, cloth is stretched, and skill is passed from one person to another.