I keep being given these Japanese cloths as gifts, and I don’t know what they’re used for. Could someone shed some light on this?
As a westerner, I immediately assumed they were tea towels. They’re thin cotton, and tend to be about 40cm wide. But they’re a bit longer than a normal tea towel. And most of them only have seams on their long sides – their short sides have loose threads on them.
They all have printed patterns, or images on them. Again, this made me think it was a tea towel – as they might include either an image or a name related to a touristy location.
I’ve picked them up over years now, but I’ve never used them for anything. I don’t want to use them incorrectly, and the lack of stitched seams makes me worry that they probably can’t really stand to be washed often.
Any ideas would be appreciated!
EDIT:
And I already have my answer! I’ve fallen down an internet hole researching everything “Tenugui” – I have a feeling I’ll be busy trying to find all kinds of obscure uses for it over the next week or so.
Thank you so much everyone, I certainly was being overly concerned of offending, I’m now confident I can use it for pretty much anything imaginable!
6 comments
Are they the ones used for wrapping around bento boxes?
Tenugui can be used for almost anything you use a hand towel for. Roll them up to make a sweat band or hachimaki. Or hem the loose ends and use as a towel for dishes or for straining stuff (if the dye doesn’t run). Sew them together to make a bag, a skirt or possibly even a yukata for home use. Use ’em to wash your car or bike as they age. You can also use them to wrap bottles. Oh, and as do-rags.
They’re tenugui. Basically just a cloth. You can use them for decoration, drying your hands, bandanas, wrapping bento boxes, sweat scarves, whatever you want.
They’re called ~~fundoshi~~ tenugui
About the unstitched edges: if you cut short any stray threads (don’t pull them!) after a wash, it’ll gradually sort itself out
They’re for drying your hands.
So ppl who do kendo and Naginata actually use tenugui has a sweat absorber under our helmets! And just to make sure our hair sits tight and doesn’t go everywhere when we’re fighting, but as everybody said, they can be used for pretty much anything
https://preview.redd.it/1mg9xa4pl7qb1.jpeg?width=712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=58a4f7520f90f44364f252cdd879ed3ea0d8e724