A Pilgrim's Stamped Hand Town: Buddhist Temple Circuit

early twentieth century
12 1/2" x 36", 31.5 cm x 91.5 cm

This is a tenugui-sized pilgrim's cotton accessory, a cloth which would have been carried by a pilgrim while traveling a prescribed route of Buddhist temples as he or she traveled, perhaps on foot, visiting each one.

As can be seen the cloth bears vermillion colored stamps which were received at various temples which were the guideposts and the reason for the pilgrim to have set out on this monumental and memorable act of devotion.

The towel is shows some ingrained staining and naturally formed pleats from its use on the road and the concentration of stamps is in the center of the tenugui, which makes sense if you can imagine the act of the pilgrim offering this tenugui to a priest at a temple.

This is a beautiful, soulful and faith-charged cloth with what must be a rich personal history embedded in its fibers.