Kyogen overvest (kataginu) with pattern of bamboo and spiderwebs

This kataginu was most likely worn with matching long trousers (nagabakama) for the role of a samurai, perhaps the master of the comic servant Tarokaja. A resist-dyeing process was used to pattern this textile. First, a special paste was applied to white cloth through a paper stencil (katagami) and then a dark brown pigment dye was brushed on. Finally, when the paste was removed, the areas that had been protected with paste remained white, resulting in a design of bamboo and spiderwebs.