A , literally "hand-wiper", is a thin Japanese hand

towel A towel is a piece of absorbent cloth or paper used for drying or wiping a surface. Towels draw moisture through direct contact. In households, several types of towels are used, such as hand towels, bath towels, and kitchen towels. Paper towels ...

made from

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

. Typically, are about in size, plain woven, and almost always dyed with some pattern. Usually the long sides are finished with a

selvage A selvage (US English) or selvedge (British English) is a "self-finished" edge of a piece of fabric which keeps it from unraveling and fraying. The term "self-finished" means that the edge does not require additional finishing work, such as hem ...

, and the short sides are just cut and so soon show some fraying. A may be used as a flannel (washcloth) or dishcloth. They are often used as headbands, souvenirs, decorations, or for wrapping bottles and similar items. Towels made from

terry cloth Terrycloth, terry cloth, terry cotton, terry toweling, terry, terry towel, or simply toweling is a fabric woven with many protruding loops of thread which can absorb large amounts of water. It can be manufactured by weaving or knitting. Terryclo ...

have largely replaced in household use. However, are still popular as souvenirs, decorations, and as a head covering in

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...

, where it functions as a sweatband and provides extra padding beneath the

headgear Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, de ...

().

References

External links

YouTube: Tenugi
displaying an easy method for tying a for

practice.
YouTube: All Japan Kendo Federation video I (1/3) 04:28 – 05:20
displaying two other methods for tying a for kendo practice.
Flickr: Star Wars themed tenugui
displaying an example of a .
Tofugu, Tengui: A Cloth Without Limits
An article describing in detail. * {{Japanese clothing Japanese culture Shinto religious objects History of art in Japan Japanese words and phrases Textile arts of Japan Japanese headgear Headgear