Tenugui - Nihon buyo

Behind the sliding doors of ochayas (teahouses), breathtakingly beautiful geishas dressed in resplendent hand-painted kimonos transport you into a world of Karyukai (the flower and willow world). With the strumming of the shamisen (a three-stringed lute), the melodious strains of folk songs or the subtle gestures of a fan during nihon buyo (classical dances ), geishas are a living embodiment of the highly refined art of Japanese hospitality.

Traditionally tenugis were used as hand towels. This humble fabric has a range of uses in modern life. Use it as a fashion accessory, an eco-friendly option to wrap a gift or even as a piece of art to adorn your home.

Produced by skilled artisans on hand woven cotton, using a traditional hand dyeing method called chusen. Chusen is a 300-year-old technique that combines bleached cotton and resist paste using katagami (paper) stencils to create colourful patterns.

Wooden frame not supplied.

Dimensions: 91cm length, 36cm height

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Product Story

"Konichiwa", the staff behind the desk at Aomori's ferry terminal greet us with typical Japanese alacrity. It's 7 a.m. and we feel utterly exhausted. Having driven over 700km from Tokyo's Narita airport over the past couple of days to make it this far, it is perhaps inevitable.