A tenugui (手拭い), literally "hand-wiper", is a thin Japanese hand towel made from cotton. Typically, tenugui are about 35 by 90 centimetres (14 by 35 in) in size, plain woven, and almost always dyed with some pattern. Usually the long sides are finished with a selvage, while the short sides are left unfinished to allow fraying.[1]
A tenugui may be used as a flannel (washcloth) or dishcloth.[citation needed] They are often used as headbands, souvenirs, decorations, or for wrapping bottles and similar items.[citation needed] Towels made from terry cloth have largely replaced tenugui in household use.[citation needed] However, tenugui are still popular as souvenirs, decorations, and as a head covering in kendo, where it functions as a sweatband and provides extra padding beneath the headgear (men).[citation needed]
