Tenugui – Japanese Hand Towel –
Japanese traditional hand towel “Tenugui”
Hi. I’m Yukako who lives in the northern part of Europe, and teaches and tells people about Japanese traditional culture such as tea ceremony, kimono, etc. offline and online.
Have you ever seen Japanese traditional hand towel “tenugui”? It’s made of cotton and very thin, rectangle shape of a towel. However, the tenugui has been more than that.
When the tenugui appearing for the first time in the ninth century, it was used by Shinto priests for purification of the body and the ceremonial accoutrements during ceremonies. Eventually, the cloths became to be used for bathing and facial washing, but later it also has become popular as a gift for a various occasions.
In the old time of Japan, people believed that the tenugui had incredible powers such as the power to cleanse. So, for example, on the morning of the new year’s day when drawing the first water of the year from a well, woman would cover her hair with a brand-new tenugui for purification as well as a ritual.
You can also find many various designed tenugui these days, from traditional design to interesting new one. Some people use it for not only towel but also interiors. The rectangle style is already decided, but you can draw anything, so it’s more like an art rather than a piece of cloth nowadays.
So, let me show you some of these.
There are more and more interesting design! So, don’t forget to visit tenugui shop when visiting Japan!