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By Patricia Belyea
KYOTO JP What fun to discover a remarkable textile shop while wandering near the east end of Nishiki Market!
When I walked past Nijiyura, I glanced in the window. Instantly I noticed that the shop was filled with colorful tenugui (te-noo-goo-ee). But were they traditionally hand-dyed?
Tenugui, the ubiquitous Japanese hand cloth, measures 14”W X 35”L. This length of cotton doubles as a bandana, a wrapping cloth, a wall hanging, a sweatband, or an accessory in Japanese dramatic arts.
I was pleased to see that all the tenugui and other cotton goods in Nijiyura were chusen-dyed. This stencil dyeing method, developed in Osaka during the Meiji era, creates radiant colors with the same intensity of pattern on both sides of the fabric.
(Many printed tenugui are sold to visitors as the real deal. If you flip over the fabric and see a paler version of the pattern on the back, the tenugui is not chusen-dyed.)
At the artisan factory, twenty meters of tenugui cotton are prepared with dye-resist paste applied through a stencil. Dyes are poured through the pile of fabric on a vacuum table. The fabric is flipped over and dye is poured through the back to ensure that the color is even on both sides.
Once washed and dried, the fabric is cut into 35" (90cm) lengths.
Fun facts about tenugui:
-Chu translates to pouring and sen translates to dyeing.
-The short ends of the tenugui are unfinished. After a few washings, the fraying stops and the resulting mini fringe in the final look.
-Yukata cotton is also dyed in chusen-dyeing factories.
This is a new shop for Nijiyura. Open since December, this location offers mini dyeing experiences in the back. Participants use a modified approach to itajime shibori dyeing to create their own tenugui with a snowflake pattern.
To immerse yourself in wonderful chusen-dyed cotton goods, I hope you can locate Nijiyura when you visit Kyoto. And have a fun time chatting with store manager Satoko Yaruse — with the help of Google Translate.
NEW ADDRESS:
Nijiyura Somekoba Kyoto
632 Mototakeda-cho
Nakagyo Ward
Kyoto
To follow on Instagram: @nijiyura_tenugui
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ABOUT US: Okan Arts, a petite family business, is co-owned by mother-daughter duo Patricia Belyea and Victoria Stone. Patricia and Victoria sell Japanese textiles online, host creative quilting experiences, and lead quilting & textile tours to Japan.
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