The Art of Tenugui

Wisteria design on left; firefly design on right. 

My Tokyo colleague gave me the most beautiful gift last night - the two Tenugui cloths pictured in detail above. Tenugui is a piece of dyed cotton cloth that was once used in Shinto rituals, as far back as AD 794. Cloth was so precious back then that very few owned Tenugui.  That changed in the Edo period (1592-1868) when cotton began being cultivated in Japan and everyone could own Tenugui.  The cloths became so widespread and popular that design contests were held and a new dyeing technique, Chusen, was developed, that is still used today.

I looked at a chart for the process of Chusen and while I don't fully understand it, I can tell you that it involves long narrow bolts of fine cotton fabric, paper stencils, a fabric roller, lots of starch, and a compressor.  There is no "wrong side" for Tenugui, as the dyes are applied from both sides. The finished cloth is about 34 cm by 90 cm  (about 13" x 35") with finished edges and unfinished ends.  The helpful brochure that came with the cloth said that I can use my Tenugui  any way I choose ("people have free minds of how to use Tenugai").  That could include as a "wiping tool", a dishcloth, a book wrap, a napkin (offered to important guests), a covering cloth, interior decoration (wall hanging), and "seasonal greetings."   Many designs are seasonal in nature.  The cloth pictured on the right is a Summer season design, with flowers and fireflies. I plan on using my Tenugui as wall hangings, as they are too beautiful not to display.

Note: The Tenugui from my colleague came from Kamawanu Co., Ltd., a very popular provider of Tenugui in Tokyo.