Tenugui

Learn all about tenugui hand towels, an ever-popular gift item from Japan : their place in popular culture, traditional dyeing methods, and eco-friendly ways to use them in contemporary life.

The word “tenugui” may be unfamiliar, but if you’ve even been to Japan you’ve surely seen these ubiquitous traditional cotton hand towels with designs ranging from classic Edo period patterns to trendy contemporary motifs. Most tenugui today are printed, but this beautifully illustrated eBook introduces you to traditional hand-dyeing techniques still employed by master craftsmen. You’ll also find tips on how to use handy, eco-friendly tenugui in daily life.


About this series

The most appreciated characteristics of Japanese slow craft are its fineness and detailed accuracy. How and why are these features created? The series pick-up traditional Japanese items such as "washi" (Japanese paper), "shoyu" (Japanese soy sauce) or "tenugui" (Japanese hand towels) and attempt to precisely illustrate in-depth, on each of these traditional industries into one book. It describes and features the traditional skills and methods passed on from the past generation to the present, exploring the spirit of such craftsmen creating those products. In addition, the encircling atmosphere which furthermore grooms the presence and value of such traditional items is depicted from diverse angles. Also, the features of "high quality" are visualized through numerous photographs. Despite the rapid and growing global transition from hand to digital made items, this e-pub series aim to transmit the significant presence of slow craft to all those worldwide loving hand-made crafts created by hands of skillful Japanese craftsmen.