This tenugui hand towel was designed by Ono of Yotsume Somefussha, a katazome stencil-dyeing artist, and is inspired by the Setouchi region and our tea fields.
The theme is “Tea-Making in Setouchi.” The colour, Rikyu-nezu—a deep navy shade—was chosen as a tribute to Sen no Rikyu.
Its understated tone evokes the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi. It is a highly versatile traditional colour that blends naturally into almost any setting or use. The more the tenugui is used, the softer and richer its texture becomes, developing the distinctive character that only a well-loved tenugui can have.
In tea fields spread across the sun-drenched islands of Setouchi, insects—an unmistakable presence in pesticide-free cultivation—move among the plants. Beside them, we harvest tea using both portable tea-picking machines and our own hands. The freshly picked leaves are then loaded onto a small truck and taken to the tea factory.
A cat from Onomichi chases after the fresh leaves spilling from the back of the truck. Once the tea has been finished at the factory, it is brewed in a kyusu teapot and served in a teacup before finally reaching you.
The design captures our approach to tea-making: caring for the plants, producing the tea, and carrying it all the way from the field to your cup.