A is a traditional Japanese decorative

towel A towel () is a piece of absorption (chemistry), absorbent cloth or paper used for drying or wiping a surface. Towels draw moisture through direct contact. Bathing towels and hand towels are usually made of cotton, linen, bamboo and Microfiber, ...

made from a thin and light

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

. It dates back to the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

or earlier. By the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, became what they are today; about in size, plain woven, and almost always dyed with plain color or some pattern. The long sides are finished with a

selvage A selvage (US English) or selvedge (British English) is a "self-finished" edge of a piece of fabric which keeps it from unraveling and fraying. The term "self-finished" means that the edge does not require additional finishing work, such as hem ...

, while the short sides are left unfinished to allow fraying. are traditionally used, tied in a specific manner, as a sling to wrap and carry bento boxes. Similarly they're used to wrap items such as bottles. They are also used as hand towels, and often as headbands, such as for

Kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords ( shinai) as well as protective armor ( bōgu). It began as samurai warriors' customary swordsmanship ex ...

. And they are widely used simply as souvenirs or decorations. Although tenugui were once used as dishcloths, today Western-style thick or

terry cloth Terrycloth, terry cloth, terry cotton, terry towelling, terry, terry towel, Turkish towelling (formerly), or simply towelling is a fabric woven with many protruding loops of thread which can absorb large amounts of water. It can be manufactured ...

dishcloths have generally replaced for dishcloth use.

References

External links

YouTube: Tenugi
displaying an easy method for tying a for

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords ( shinai) as well as protective armor ( bōgu). It began as samurai warriors' customary swordsmanship ex ...

practice.
YouTube: All Japan Kendo Federation video I (1/3) 04:28 – 05:20
displaying two other methods for tying a for kendo practice.
Flickr: Star Wars themed tenugui
displaying an example of a .
Tofugu, Tengui: A Cloth Without Limits
An article describing in detail. * Culture of Japan Shinto religious objects History of art in Japan Japanese words and phrases Textile arts of Japan Japanese headgear {{Japan-stub