RIENZOME

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  • Rienzome Tenugui Cloth with Garden Pattern (385)
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    Tenugui with Garden Pattern (385)

    Tenugui are thin Japanese cotton hand towels. They are generally 35 by 90 centimeters, plain woven and usually have a specific pattern or image. They are very versatile and are therefore make very...
    $16.34
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  • Rienzome Tenugui Cloth with Firefly Basket (289)
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    Tenugui with Firefly Basket (289)

    Firefly Basket Firefly baskets have been handed down from ancient times as a hand play for children. When the fireflies are flying, it is early to harvest rice, so it seems that straw was used as a...
    $16.34
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  • Rienzome Tenugui Cloth with Sparkly Hail (744)
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    Tenugui with Sparkly Hail (744)

    Frozen Rain. This beautiful tenugui captures the mystique and beauty of a thick hail storm, with large and small balls falling from the blue skye. "Tenugui" is often translated as "Japanese towel",...
    $15.25
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  • Rienzome Tenugui Cloth with a Starry Night (229)
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    Tenugui with a Starry Night (229)

    Starry Night Sky.This Tenugui towel features a dreamy night sky full of stars. With the unique traditional painting method, a lot of experience and care is required to create the subtle transition...
    $15.25
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  • Rienzome Tenugui with Patterns of Whirling Tides (228)
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    Tenugui with Patterns of Whirling Tides (228)

    Whirling Tides.This Tenugui from Rienzome has a very dynamic and modern looking design of whirling tides."Tenugui" is often translated as "Japanese towel", but this translation fails to cover their...
    $13.07
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  • RIENZOME Tenugui Cloth with Pine Needles (787)
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    Tenugui with Pine Needles (787)

    Pine Needles.This Rienzome Tenugui towel has patterns of pine needles. It makes it a nice seasonal tenugui for autumn."Tenugui" is often translated as "Japanese towel", but this translation fails to...
    $13.07
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  • Rienzome Tenugui with a Firework Pattern (834)
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    Tenugui with a Firework Pattern (834)

    Fireworks.This Rienzome Tenugui towel features a Japanese firework. It has multiple beautiful colors on a dark blue background. This Tenugui is just right for the summer season with firework...
    $15.25
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  • Tenugui with Summer Fireworks (287)
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    Tenugui with Summer Fireworks (287)

    Fireworks. This traditional styled tenugui displays a scene of summer fireworks above a wooden bridge surrounded by traditional boats. It's a very classic pattern with beautifully balanced colors. ...
    $16.34
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  • Rienzome Tenugui Cloth with Snow (1010)
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    Tenugui with Snow (1010)

    Snowflakes. A brightly colored tenugui with Snowflakes makes for a beautiful winter-themed craft. "Tenugui" is often translated as "Japanese towel", but this translation fails to cover their...
    $13.07
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  • Rienzome Tenugui Cloth "Phases of the Moon" (779)
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    Tenugui with "Phases of the Moon" (779)

    Phases of the Moon.This hand-dyed Tenugui features the phases of the moon. It is a perfect accessory for everyone who lives by the movement of the moon."Tenugui" is often translated as "Japanese...
    $15.25
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Although the cloths themselves seem simple, the production process requires a steady hand and the eyes of a true artisan. The entire process involves up to ten craftsmen!

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Rienzome has been established in 1872 and beautifully crafts a variety of cotton textiles. From Tenugui, multi-purpose cotton towels that can be used as bandana, to wrap things or for decoration as wall tapestry; to Jinbei - Jinbei, a casual clothing for kids that can be used indoors or as pyjama. Noren curtains are dividers that hang at the entrance of a building or between rooms. And their scarves are popular year-round for their softness and traditional designs. 

Chusen Dyeing

Rienzome uses the ‘Chusen’ dying method, which is a hand dying technique that results in an intense print visible equally on both sides of the cloth, whereas printed versions will have one good- and one bad side. 

First of all, the fabric’s pattern will be drawn and carefully carved out on a special stencil paper. A bleach specialist is required to prepare the cotton cloths to get painted. 

It requires a mixture of seaweed and starch that helps keep the parts of cloth that do not need to be colored, clean. Several layers of cloth are painted at the same time, which means the artisan needs to be very careful, as once he makes a mistake, the entire roll of cloth will be wasted.  The starch-seaweed mixture is applied on each new layer and is also used to creates small dams around different areas where the paint with get captured in order to color patterns and decorations. 

Then, heated dye is released on top of the cloth and should only cover the parts left uncovered with the starch mixture. 

Craftsman often pour using a water can and with two hands at the same time! A vacuum below the cloth, operated with a foot pump, will pump all the paint down, allowing multiple layers to be dyed at once. The cloth then needs to be turned around so that the process can be repeated on the other side. Craftsman have to be extremely precise throughout the entire crafting process in order for the final result to be successful.

Finally, the painted cloths are washed in water to remove all the starch, left to sundry and rolled with a machine to remove all the wrinkles.  The cloth is then cut in smaller pieces depending on its intended use as tenugui towel or clothing.