Summer Tenugui Towels: Fireworks, Fireflies, and Yōkai Monsters

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Summer must be the most active season for Tenugui towels. In order to survive through the extreme heat and humidity of summer in Japan, all kinds of customs, culture, and rituals have been created and developed. Tenugui towels were one of the tools to cope with summer in a practical way.

Tenugui are towels made of bleached cotton, approximately 34 cm wide and 90 cm in length. The word literally means “a hand wiping cloth.” In the 17th century, when the production of cotton increased dramatically in Japan, people benefitted from the rich supply of cotton cloth for use in their daily lives. Individual towels were used for a remarkable number of purposes not only for wiping and cleaning, but also for wrapping and wearing, and even as advertising tools.

At this point we can see Tenugui as the reflection of the culture and lifestyle, too, beyond merely practical tools. In this exhibition Ukiyo-e woodblock prints are on display which depict people using Tenugui towels. We also have pairings of Ukiyo-e prints and Tenugui towels both indicating everything special in Japanese summer. Fireworks, boating, fresh water bathing, firefly catching ― summer heat could have been turned into enjoyment and something to be culturally appreciated.

One of the special summer tradition has been spooky stories of ghosts and Yōkai monsters. In the hot humid nights, those stories are supposed to make spectators feel chilled. And those creatures are the most attractive subjects which appear on both Tenugui and Ukiyo-e prints.

Join us at The Japan Foundation, Toronto in the celebration of magnificent summer!

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