Tenugui Towel - Sperm Whale

A giant sperm whale swimming in a big wave. If you look closely, you can find his bestie swimming alongside him.

35×90cm / 13.8 x 35.4 inches

Cotton 100% Tokuoka Chusen Print

Made in Japan

“Tenugui” is a traditional Japanese towel that can be used for anything—as a washcloth or dishcloth, but often as a tapestry, decoration, quilt, headband, souvenir, or for wrapping items such as bottles.
Please note that Tenugui has unfinished edges on top and bottom. 
 
Designed by Chie Takai, daughter of Nobuyuki Takai, a pupil of Japanese National Treasure Keisuke Serizawa. Chie Takai is a renowned Japanese stencil artist known under her artist name kata kata. The name is derived from Kata-e-zome, a Japanese method of dyeing fabrics using a resist paste applied through a stencil.
 
“Chusen” is a traditional method of dyeing using stencil paper. Since the dye infiltrates the cloth, the patterns appear on both sides. When the tenugui is used for a long time, the dye fades, giving it a well-aged look.