Japanese Sarasa has its origins from the early Edo Period (1603 to 1868) when Portuguese seafaring traders introduced cotton calicos/chintz into Japan that they acquired from Indian textile manufacturers. The term "Sarasa" is derived from the Portuguese word for calico or unglazed chintz. Domestic production of calico began when skillful Japanese dye workers found a method to replicate the designs of Indian calicos into their own style and production techniques. Master Japanese textile makers applied their indigenous katazome textile printing skills to making sarasa (rice paste resist dyeing with stencils "katagami") .