Tenugui is a unique towel : quick guide to Japanese textiles

Todaya, Japan

For lovers of Japanese products, few things are as iconic as the country’s unique and elaboratetextiles. At the top of the list are tenugui  - hand-dyed Japanese cottontowels, and furoshiki  – wrapping cloths. Created using painstakingtraditional hand-dyeing techniques that have been refined over centuries, these items havealways represented an important part of Japan’s cultural heritage.

Classic Ume Yashiki Print

Traditional Japanese textiles have kept pace with modern life

Changing times have not spelled the end for traditional Japanese textiles. They’re now morepopular and relevant than ever. Today’s growing focus on environmental sustainability is fuellinga resurgence of interest in these ancient traditions, with innovative and creative new uses fortenugui and furoshiki emerging all the time.

Let’s start with a closer look at tenugui. While the word itself comes from te (hands) and nugui(wipe), wiping your hands is just one of many things you can do with this traditional Japanese towel.

From traditional towel to versatile modern accessory

Measuring around 33cm by 90cm, these super-soft, versatile rectangles are always reversibleand are made from 100% pure cotton. There’s really no limit to what you can do with a tenugui.You can use it as:

- A simple wrapping cloth

- A scarf, bandanna or belt to accessorise your outfit

- A wall hanging for your home


Big Wave from Hokusai



Handmade Japanese textiles in a huge variety of designs

Here at Japan Originals, our huge textile range features colourful tenugui and furoshiki that havebeen carefully hand-made using centuries-old dyeing processes.

Need some advice on how to use your tenugui? Thought up an original use for your furoshiki? Get in touch and tell us about it!



Traditional Dye



Saffran Dye



Amazingly beautiful, Eco, maultiused textile cloth Furoshiki



Riversible Furoshiki, fold into windmill pattern

And then there’s furoshiki. Furoshiki, from furo (bath) and shiki (spread), is a traditionalJapanese wrapping cloth. Historically made from Japanese silk crepe and 100% cotton, furoshikiare now made from a wide variety of fabrics and - just like tenugui, reversible, with a contrastingcolour and print pattern on each side.

With ten sizes ranging from 45cm to 230cm, furoshiki can be used for many different purposes,including:

Futa-haba (68-70cm) and Nishaku-haba (74cm)
                          – wrapping gifts or accessorizing outfitsas a scarf

Nishi-haba (90cm) – wrapping wine bottles or doubling up as a handbag

Mi-haba (100-105cm) – for table or home decoration

Yo-haba (128cm) – for a cushion cover or an attractive basket

Using your furoshiki is easy when you know how. Take a look at these clips for a quickdemonstration of how you can create some beautiful and  useful objects: 

A reusable wrapping cloth 

Furoshiki shop in Japan

To make a bag 

A small purse

Hundreds of uses from a single product

Japanese culture has always striven to make

its best products as multi-functional as possible.

If you think about it, when tenugui and
furoshiki were invented, materials were
harder to come by, so it was logical to use them for many different purposes. These days, cotton is no longer such a hard-to-find commodity, but the same spirit persists: why not turn a beautiful object into a highlyfunctional product that can be used over and over again till its torn off.

 

Furoshiki for modern girls

Handmade Japanese textiles in a huge variety of designs

Here at Japan Originals, our huge textile range features colourful tenugui and furoshiki that havebeen carefully hand-made using centuries-old dyeing processes.

Need some advice on how to use your tenugui?

Thought up an original use for your furoshiki?

Get in touch and tell us about it!