I believe that means that the kit is a Made in Japan kit and they often mimic the American brands. I have a set of toms from the late 50s that look almost just like Slingerlands, but they are MIJs

Welcome Christokos,

If the question is about cymbals (since it appears in the cymbal section) it means that the factory which made it put some specific brand markings on it so that it could be sold under a particular brand name. Here is an example of ink stamps which UFIP put on their cymbals. Some of these brand names are the names of Italian drum manufacturers who sold cymbals with their drum kits, some are importers and distributors in the USA, and some like Ajaha were made for Gretsch to sell with their drum kits.

[img]http://black.net.nz/cym2012/ufipStencilBrands.jpg[/img]

There isn't anything specifically Japanese (aka Made In Japan) about the term Stencil Brand, it can be applied to something manufactured in any country.

I also noticed this thread in the Cymbal section, but probably belongs in the non-usa drum section. Regardless, the previous posts sum up what "stencil" is. Thanks guys for helping out!

-Mark