Tenugui 手ぬぐい

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20/01/2015 Tenugui | John's Attic

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Isnt it interesting how something one person will dismiss without a glance, another person

will see as a rare treasure? Tenuguioften fall into this category.

The word tenugui( ) means hand wipe. And that is what they are. They are also used for

head coverings, on occasion for wrapping things, and to wipe up spills on the floorbut not all

at the same time! And just because they are used for such mundane purposes doesnt mean

they have to be ugly!

One of the delightful aspects of Japanese culture is how often care and attention is taken to

make items used in everyday life not only functional but a joy to use or a beauty to behold. So

while tenuguiare put to every conceivable use as a rag, a great deal of creativity goes intomaking them attractive and many people collect them for this reason alone. Try cutting and

pasting in your browser and see how many links come up everything from

connoisseurs waxing on about the aesthetics of a particular tenuguiartist, to pages and movies

devoted to showing yet one more creative way to press this treasure into service.

One of my favorite stores in Tokyo is a tenuguistore called Fujiyain Asakusabashi. Below are

three of my favorite tenuguicollected years ago.

TREASURES FROM JOHN'S COLLECTION

TENUGUI JULY 10, 2011 | JOHN MARSHALL

John's Attic

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20/01/2015 Tenugui | John's Attic

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Incognito

Incognito (detail)

This one appeals to me for its stark simplicity and commanding

presence. The image is of a woman hiding her identity as she heads

toward a bridge from which she will leap to her death. You can almost

see her set determination in her eyes. Despite the kind of attention

burqas have received in the press over the past few years, there is

something very powerful in having all visual clues about a person

hidden, forcing ones attention entirely on the eyes. I think this piece

is classic in this senseand its handy to wipe up a spill from time to

time.

This image is of a bunrakudoll. Here, again, it is the face that captures

my heart. What is not visible in the photograph are the very subtle

additions of color to areas of the clothing. See below for an

explanation of how this is achieved.

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20/01/2015 Tenugui | John's Attic

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Bunraku Doll

Bunraku Doll (detail)

The image to the right

has not been flipped

accidentally. Keep in

mind that chuusen-dyed

items have no right or

wrong side and may be

viewed from either.

And lastly, I find this tenuguito be quite amusing. After all, it is offering a history of its own use

and listing the occupation or type of person pressing it into service.

Tenugui as Headgear

See if you can guess any of the occupations of the people below based on their headgear.

There are a few you may be able to spot right away: the burglar, the convalescent, the

housewife, the fellow returning from the bath, and the clandestine traveler.

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20/01/2015 Tenugui | John's Attic

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Array of Colors Awaiting Use

Tenugui Headgear (detail)

The above tenuguiare all dyed using the chuusenmethod. Click on Textile of the Week:

Chuusento see how one studio goes about producing these. Read on for a slightly different

perspective.

First take a peak at this clip on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxHdM_uXTlg.

The images below are taken from it.

Synthetic dyes boast qualities best

suited to chuusen. They are

inexpensive, and can be stored for

long periods of time. Most require

steaming, but bypass the need for a

mordant.

Isnt this a wonderful shot of a dye can? Simplicity of line coupled with an efficient design make

it a joy to use as well as ponder the meaning of life in ever shifting planes of universal bends

twists and dings, etc., etc., etc. . . .OK, then.

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20/01/2015 Tenugui | John's Attic

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Dye Can at Rest

Stencils Stored Overhead

This seasons selection of stencil

images are stored overhead for easy

access. Each stencil is attached to a

wooden frame from which it may be

detached for long-term storage.

Applying Paste

The craftsman pulls from a large batch of paste using a wood debaberato push the paste

through the stencil. Layer after layer he alternates the cotton and the paste until a full bolt of

fabric has been prepared. The paste image in each consecutive layer must line up precisely

with the layer below.

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Foot Controlled Vacuum Switch

Moats of Paste Help to Contain the Dyes

Additional paste has been added to the top layer of the cloth encircling some areas with a

moat. Notice that these boundaries do not follow the lines of the original image or stencil.

Instead they are helping to define the areas into which additional colors or shadings will be

added. This may be easier to detect in the image below. (I like the plastic jug above that has

been cut in half and turned up side down to use.)

Pouring Additional Color into the Contained Areas.

As dye is added to the fabric it is

quickly pulled through the many layers

and into a waiting receptacle. The

craftsman controls the vacuum

suction with a foot lever.

Once all of the colors have been

added, the fabric is steamed and the

paste removed.

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20/01/2015 Tenugui | John's Attic

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Automated Silk Screen Set Up

Finished Image

Can you see how the shaded areas relate to the moats above?

The fabric is folded back and forth upon itself and the dye passes through all layers equally.

Therefore there is no real right or wrong side to the image (unless text is involved). This is true

chuusen.

Tenuguiare sold in stores, but they are also quite often commissioned by businesses to hand

out free to customers, a bit like refrigerator magnets are handed out here. Often these will

contain a company logo, business name, or advertisement of some sort. Because of the labor

involved in the chuusenprocess, cheaper methods are always being explored and exploited.

One such method is not so very new. It

involves automated silk screening as

seen on the right.

Another increasingly common method

is simply using an inkjet printer and

textile inks with a very wide format

printer.

However, in both of these printing

techniques there is a sharp difference

between the right and wrong side, as

seen below.

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