A Stencil Dyed Tenugui or Traditional Hand Towel: Faux Mame Shibori

early to mid twentieth century
33" x 13", 84 cm x 33 cm

This is a stencil dyed cotton tenugui--a traditional, unfinished towel--which has been dyed in the absolutely charming pattern called mame, or bean pattern, for obvious reasons.

What is wonderful about it is that it is mimicking a kind of shibori called mame shibori. This type of shibori is created by hand using a kind of "primitive" folding and dyeing mechanism, the result being this length of white cotton that is studded by even rows of small bean-sized stains of indigo dye.  

In this case it seems that the traditional dyeing method for tenugui--called chusen--was used to create this pattern. Interesting, too, to see that two of the "beans" are missing, a curious and charming mistake on the part of the dyer.

Lovely, graphically appealing and delightful to look at.