A Meiji Era Shibori and Stencil Dyed Tenugui: Hand Towel
late nineteenth, early twentieth century
12 3/4" x 34 1/2", 32.5 cm x 87.5 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 right we see a bundled and tied type of shibori. A shop name, Kadono Hattori, is stenciled over the radiating lines of this shibori.
The shibori on this tenugui is so well done--and this one is part of a group of variations that will be offered here over time--that it seems to suggest that the shop name might have been from a shibori dyer, a yukata broker or some other trade that relates to cloth and shibori. 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.
No matter its origin or original purpose this is a very handsome one, rare for its expert shibori dying and for its artful composition.
Recommended.
(As there are several of this same pattern and design--each one hand made--if you would like to buy more than one please send an email to inquire about an offline purchase)