Tenugui Towel Story Vol.51｜The Myriad of Colors of Tenugui Towels
Kamawanu dyes over 500 different patterns of tenugui towels every year. In addition to the tenugui towels on display in the stores is a wide selection of various items, including custom-ordered ones. Color, in particular, has a significant impact on the impression of the finished towel , resulting in a completely different look even with the same design. In this column, we will unravel the profound depth of the colors that gives tenugui towel its many faces.
How are the colors for the tenugui towels decided?
The process of creating a design for tenugui towels starts with a rough sketch, either by hand or on a software. The designers then decide on the colors that will fit the worldview of the design and search for the best colors from color charts.
Chusen dyeing has specific recipes for colors that have been handed down amongst craftsmen for many years. Before the actual dyeing, color samples dyed on “sarashi” (bleached) fabrics are compared with the design drawing to select the color that matches the image. When in doubt, craftsmen sometimes refer to common color charts that are used in a wide range of fields such as fashion, print, and digital.
What colors do Kamawanu’s tenugui towels mostly come in?
Our tenugui towels come in a huge variety of colors, including red, blue, and yellow. But we conducted a survey in order to find out which are the best-selling colors currently at Kamawanu!
Statistics by color of Kamawanu tenugui towels
The results clearly show that “Blue” is, by far, the most popular color! The standard pattern of “polka dots” and the classic pattern of “hemp leaves” are regularly seen in tenugui towels, but the ratio of colors used also changes with the season, such as vibrant, warm colors for spring; refreshing blue colors such as sky blue and indigo blue for summer; calming, brown colors such as fallen leaves and coffee for fall; and festive red colors for winter such as Christmas and New Year’s.
How colors are specified and reproduced
A “specification sheet” is indispensable when it comes to the dyeing of tenugui towels. The specifications sheet includes “color chips” that are the same as the color charts, and in some cases, the designer may even add a note with the image of the desired color. For example, when dyeing a tenugui towel with a strawberry pattern, the final image will be very different depending on whether you want a vivid red like a strawberry’s or a more subdued red like an apple’s, even if they are just “red.” It is for this reason that requests like “Please aim for a vivid red like a strawberry’s” are detailed down on the specifications sheet. Providing this specifications sheet to the dyeing factory will allow the craftsmen to mix dyes according to the image so as to reproduce the desired color.
From left: Radish / Double Cherry Blossoms / Cat Pattern Grass Green
The Radish is dyed using four colors to convey their freshness.
The Framed Double Cherry Blossom is dyed using a total of five colors, including the base of the bleached off-white fabric.
As the base fabric of the Cat Pattern Grass Green is dyed a darker beige, the grass green that was dyed subsequently would be a little darker than the color shown on the color chip.
There are three main types of dyes generally used in Chusen dyeing:
- Naphthol dyes: These can reproduce relatively vivid, deep colors.
- Reactive dyes: Vibrant colors that can produce a wide range of hues.
- Sulfur dyes: Excellent for dyeing dark colors such as black and navy blue.
While it is common to use different dyes according to the color system, but with gradation dyeing or “sashiwake” dyeing techniques, using different dyes at the same time can result in the colors not mixing well or even bleeding into each other. Skill and experience are therefore crucial since it is difficult to tell just based on the color alone.
Why do color differences occur?
The dyes used for tenugui towels are not set in stone for the final product, but are mixed according to the image each time. Subtle differences in color can also occur from differences in temperature and humidity. Although it is difficult to reproduce the exact same color, this is also one of the elements that makes it possible to savor the uniqueness of handcrafted items.
Even the same grey page can vary from dark grey to light grey.
The environment surrounding the dyeing industry
In recent years, the number of dyeing factories that employ the same dyeing methods used for tenugui towels has been decreasing due to a drop in demand as there are fewer opportunities to wear yukata (traditional Japanese light cotton kimono) and a lack of successors to the craftsmen. Coupled with the discontinuation of more and more dyes, the range of colors available now has gotten smaller. Yet, numerous ingenious designs were once created using a limited number of colors during the Edo and Meiji periods. At Kamawanu, we will continue to create attractive tenugui towels by applying our creative ingenuity in our color combinations.
This column has shone a spotlight on the colors of the tenugui towels. We hope that you have enjoyed learning about the subtle differences in color that can only be achieved by hand-dyeing as well as the unique charm of the Chusen-dyed tenugui towels.