Tokyo Traditional Dyeing · Tenugui · Arabesque Pattern Set of 3
Close view of the visible arabesque pattern and cotton weave on a dark-blue tenugui, with the other two colorways behind.
Two folded tenugui colorways placed side by side indoors to compare the mood of the shared arabesque pattern.
Three arabesque-pattern tenugui arranged in relaxed compact folds that reveal different visible portions of the design.
A dark-blue arabesque-pattern tenugui given quiet space on a plain indoor surface, with two companion colorways behind.
Tokyo Traditional Dyeing · Tenugui · Arabesque Pattern Set of 3
Close view of the visible arabesque pattern and cotton weave on a dark-blue tenugui, with the other two colorways behind.
Two folded tenugui colorways placed side by side indoors to compare the mood of the shared arabesque pattern.
Three arabesque-pattern tenugui arranged in relaxed compact folds that reveal different visible portions of the design.
A dark-blue arabesque-pattern tenugui given quiet space on a plain indoor surface, with two companion colorways behind.
Somenosato Ochiai, General Incorporated Association SKU: BJ_P_00011

Tokyo Traditional Dyeing · Tenugui · Arabesque Pattern Set of 3

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Product Details

PRODUCT DETAILS

Three Expressions of a Flowing Pattern

Three cotton tenugui bring the arabesque pattern into a compact study of color, line, and rhythm. Dark blue, purple, and gray-toned pieces form one coordinated set, each revealing a different expression of the same flowing motif. Tokyo Honzome Chusen gives the design a craft lineage rooted in resist and pour dyeing.

USE & APPRECIATION

Follow the Pattern Up Close

At home, lay out the three cloths before choosing a color for a small textile display. Their curling arabesque lines share a common rhythm, while navy, purple, and gray give it different emphasis. Let one lead the arrangement and keep the others nearby for another day.

Close view of the visible arabesque pattern and cotton weave on a dark-blue tenugui, with the other two colorways behind.

Compare Color and Mood

When arranging a quiet corner indoors, try navy beside purple before deciding which to show. The same cotton pattern feels different in each color, so the set offers variety without losing its connection. Pair a folded cloth with a plain surface and enjoy the flowing lines.

Two folded tenugui colorways placed side by side indoors to compare the mood of the shared arabesque pattern.

Change the Fold, Change the View

Refresh a small indoor display by changing the fold rather than adding more objects. Across these cotton tenugui, the arabesque pattern continues beyond each visible edge, making a new section worth revealing. Alternate the three colors and let the fabric's pattern carry the arrangement.

Three arabesque-pattern tenugui arranged in relaxed compact folds that reveal different visible portions of the design.

Give the Pattern Quiet Space

Set aside a moment to choose the textile detail you want to keep in view. On a pale indoor surface, each colorway gives the curling stems a distinct presence. Leave space between the folded cloths to appreciate both the individual patterns and the coordinated three-piece set.

A dark-blue arabesque-pattern tenugui given quiet space on a plain indoor surface, with two companion colorways behind.

OBJECT PASSPORT / CARE & USE

Care & Handling

Care summary for the three-piece Tokyo Honzome Chusen tenugui set: washing, ironing, and outdoor use are not permitted.

Washing, ironing, and outdoor use are not permitted. Ask the maker before using any other care method.

OBJECT PASSPORT

Product details

Dimensions
100cm×34cm
Material
100% cotton
Product weight
35 g
Origin
Japan
Craft Heritage

CRAFT HERITAGE

Craft Heritage

Tokyo Honzome Chusen is a stencil-dyeing tradition rooted in sosogi-zome, a method devised by indigo dyers in Edo for dyeing tenugui cloths near the end of the Edo period. An early form of the technique is thought to have been established by the mid-19th century.

From the late Meiji period onward, Tokyo dyers also applied chusen to yukata fabric and continued to refine the process. Because dye is poured through folded layers of fabric from both sides, the finished cloth is dyed through on the front and back, combining fine patterns with subtle variations in color.

Today, the technique is used for tenugui, yukata, fashion accessories, clothing, and interior goods.
How It’s Made

TRADITIONAL CRAFT PROCESS

How It’s Made

About the Making Process

Tokyo Honzome Chusen is a stencil-dyeing process in which resist paste is applied through a stencil before dye is poured through layers of folded fabric.
Repeatedly folding and stenciling the cloth places the resist in matching positions on both sides.
Dye is then poured from the front and reverse of the stack, producing a pattern that carries through both faces of the fabric.
Methods include single-color dyeing, sashiwake, bokashi, and hosokawa dyeing.

1. Stencil Application
  • A framed stencil is placed on the fabric, and resist paste is applied with a spatula.
  • The fabric is folded precisely at the pasted edge, and the process is repeated so that the resist is applied in matching positions on both sides.
2. Dyeing
  • Several lengths of folded and stacked fabric are dyed by pouring color from a long-spouted kettle. The entire stack is turned over, and dye is poured from the reverse side as well.
  • The methods include single-color dyeing, sashiwake, bokashi, and hosokawa dyeing. In techniques such as sashiwake, barriers of resist paste separate the colors. For fine patterns, a guiding rod directs the dye to the intended areas.
3. Finishing
  • The dyed fabric is washed to remove the resist paste and excess dye.
  • It is then dried in sunlight to complete the process.
Meet the Maker

MEET THE MAKER

Meet the Maker

MAKER · OCHIAI, TOKYO

A Dyeing Culture Carried by a Community

Some-no-Sato Ochiai preserves more than finished textiles. It carries forward the knowledge of how designs are drawn, stencils are cut, color is judged, cloth is stretched, and skill is passed from one person to another.

A person in a blue kimono standing beside a dark timber gate.
Yoko Takaichi, Representative Director and Cultural Steward

Yoko Takaichi’s path into this world began through the neighborhood itself. Raised close to kimono through her mother, who worked in tailoring, she later created a local community publication while raising her family. A visit to the dye house Futabaen led to her involvement with Some-no-Komichi, a community project created to make Ochiai’s nearly hidden dyeing culture visible again. In 2015, she served as the project’s representative. She now leads Some-no-Sato Ochiai as its representative director.

Her role is to hold together the workshop’s cultural purpose, its relationship with the neighborhood, and the work of the dyeing craftspeople. The workshop’s craftspeople carry out the dyeing, while Takaichi connects their work with the wider community as its representative.

A Century of Dyeing in Ochiai

The workshop traces its lineage to Futabaya, established in Ochiai in 1920. The district had become a center for dyeing as makers moved upstream in search of cleaner water along the Kanda and Myoshoji rivers. At its height, the area was home to more than 300 dye-related businesses; lengths of cloth being rinsed in the river were once part of the neighborhood’s everyday landscape.

That industrial landscape has become far smaller, but the work continues. Some-no-Sato Ochiai was established to carry the century-old workshop heritage forward, train people, share the culture, and keep hand processes present in the city where they developed.

Why the Hand Still Matters

Edo dyeing is a sequence of judgments. A design is translated into stencils; cloth is fixed evenly to a long printing board; paste and color must be applied with control; each layer must meet the last. A single Edo Sarasa design may require dozens of stencils, while especially complex work can require hundreds. In the coloring room, recipes handed down over time are not simply repeated: craftspeople continue to adjust and develop color by eye and by experience.

These hand processes create the rhythm of pattern and depth of color associated with Edo dyeing. The judgment of craftspeople working with stencils, paste, and dye shapes its expressive character.
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