Karakusa Tenugui

A staple of the Japanese household since the 9th century, the humble Tenugui is a hand-dyed rectangular cloth (13 x 35") equally at home in the pocket, as it is in the kitchen or the workshop. Ours are hand-dyed in Japan using "chusen", a traditional technique in which the dye penetrates the cloth rather than sitting on its surface, leaving the pattern visible on both sides and the hand remarkably soft. Each pattern carries its own name and meaning. In the wabi-sabi spirit, the edges are left unhemmed, so expect some slight fraying, and the character that comes with it. Karakusa is a Japanese arabesque motif whose name roughly translates to ‘Chinese grass.’ Its scrolling vine pattern reached Japan in the 8th century, adapted through China from Persian, Indian, and Mediterranean motifs. In Japan, it has come to symbolize growth, prosperity, and longevity.