Tenugui Towel - Irises
RienzomeLarge, elegant, deep purple irises (菖蒲 - ayame) blooming by the water are a classic symbol of early summer in Japan. This tenugui captures their beauty in soft colours and gradients.
Made in Japan. Ships from the United States.
Width: 37 cm (14.6 in)
Height: 90 cm (35.4 in)
Material: 100% Cotton
Due to the hand-printing process, colours and gradients may vary slightly
Teugui (手ぬぐい - hand towel) are an traditional style of simple towel that dates back over a thousand years to the Heian Era in Japan. They evolved into their modern form some 300 years ago. Cut from narrow-woven, light cotton fabric, the long sides of these towels have a selvedge while the short sides are left unfinished.
These simple lengths of cloth have many purposes—in addition to being used as hand and dish towels, they are also headbands, hair coverings, bento wrappings, and can even be tied into a little bag. Today, however, as designs have become more intricate, many are simply displayed as wall hangings.
Rienzome is the main branch of Todoya Shoten (戸田屋商店), a company that has specialised in dying tenugui and yukata since 1872. They pride themselves in a commitment to handcrafted quality. Each step in the process, from the stenciling, dying, and folding is done by hand.
At their workshop, the craftsmen employ a dying technique known as chū-sen (注染) in which dye is carefully poured through hand-cut paper stencils into a folded stack of cloth. This method produces organic results that dye both the front and back of each tenugui. Additionally, they exclusively use finely woven cotton cloth that is soft and readily absorbs the dye.
