This product was discovered in an interview with Mari Nakano. Read full interview here.

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Rectangular in shape and 90 cm x 35 cm in size, Tenugui is an everyday cloth. As Mari pulls out a whole stack, she explains what an ubiquitous piece of cloth it is, as you can wrap stuff up in it and wipe things down with it. Tenugui has many functions, people in japan carry it around in their bags or around their necks to keep them cool or blot sweat. It is also a perfect length to tie around your head like a bandana.

 

Mari carries it everyday in her bag as well and in New York, where she lives, she says Tenugui can be very useful in trains for when the seat looks dirty. She uses Tenugui to wipe the seat down or to sit on it. She then goes on to explain, “it is a perfect length of cloth to cover the butt. It’s also great to tie little things together like coins. If I don't have anywhere else to put something, I just tie it into a little satchel. It’s just like a handkerchief”. At home she also uses it to wipe her daughter, Shinobu’s spills.

 

We have to admit, at first we were a little lost about the use of a simple rectangular cloth and what made it special. It is the material, it’s hand towel size length and the patterns. Made of cotton, it can fold really small due to it’s thin weave and dries really fast. Its length is perfect in modern day to replace hand/kitchen towels or napkins. And lastly, the hand dyed patterns make each Tenugui a piece to admire and cherish.