Tenugui hand towels have long been a common place feature of daily life in Japan. Originally for wiping off perspiration or drying hands, over the years these thin cotton towels turned out to be very handy for all sorts of essential tasks, from tying up the hair to wrapping shopping parcels. A recent trend is to print tenugui in fashionable designs for interior decoration and to make stylish face masks. We visit an old store in Tokyo to see how they create images with beautiful gradations using the traditional Chusen dyeing technique, with each tenugui being crafted individually by hand.

VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN