A Meiji Era Tenugui: Fine Shibori

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
12 3/4" x 35 1/4", 32.25 cm x 89.5 cm

This is a tenugui or a traditional cotton hand towel that is ubiquitous in Japan.

This one is special because unlike most tenugui which are stencil dyed this one is dyed in beautifully-done, selectively hand dip dyed indigo --and it is old, it dates to the Meiji period.

On the right we see a dense wedge of miura shibori and on the upper, left hand corner we see delicately stitched shirakage shibori in the form of two upside-down pine trees. 

The shibori on this tenugui is extremely fine and very well done--and this one is part of a group of variations that will be offered here over time.

This piece is almost assuredly from Narumi/Arimatsu, a booming and powerful center of shibori production and brokering.

A tenugui is a traditional cotton hand towel that is ubiquitous in Japan because of its many uses.  It can be used to mop sweat from a brow in summer; it can be worn on the head, kerchief-like, while working; it can be twisted and worn as a sweat band like sushi chefs do: there are endless ways to use a tenugui.

Sometimes these lengths of cotton are used by stores as a give away, sometimes as gifts at new year, other time for store promotions.  Sometimes tenugui are brought back from trips as souvenirs if they are imprinted with a specialized image specific to certain region or town.

Although we do not know the actual original owner or provider of this gift tenugui it might be that it was a shop or a shibori dyer, a yukata broker or some other trade that relates to cloth and shibori. 

No matter its origin or original purpose this is a very handsome one, rare for its expert shibori dying and for its artful composition and its very nice, old cotton.

Recommended.