Tenugui towels

Left to right: Morning dew, spider web by Yoko Noguchi [のぐちようこ], Morning in Snowy Mountains by Yuruliku Design [ユルリク], A Delightful Moment by Miya Suwa [スワミヤ]

These are just 3 designs from the “Tenukore” project for the Summer 2008 and Winter/Spring 2009 tenugui collections, where 8 graphic designers were invited to each design a tenugui. Printing on the tenugui is done by hand, using a dyeing technique from the Edo era known as “chusen”.

Tenugui (手拭い) is a traditional Japanese thin hand towel made of cotton. It’s light and very absorbent. It can be used as a washcloth, dishcloth, furoshiki, scarf, bandanna, bandage, decorative wall hanging or treat it like fabric to make a wristlet. The usual size for a tenugui is 90cm long and about 34cm wide.

Both collections are available at AssistOn for 1890 Yen (about SGD 31.37/USD 20.90) per piece.