Stencil workshop (Showa era), Kyō Yūzen

The Production of Stencils
Based on the design, the artisan decides on the number of stencils needed for colors and shading, and carves them. Then the underpainting is transferred to the stencil using a stylus-like pen and red carbon paper. In the past, washi paper and persimmon tannin were used, but today synthetic paper is also in common use, along with silk screens. Even when dyeing a single color, depending on the design, more than one stencil may be used. Many-colored designs commonly call for the creation of dozens or even hundreds of stencils.