When I lived in Japan I developed a bit of a tenegui addiction and I built up a rather impressive collection of them. A tenegui is a piece of cotton fabric that can be used as a tea towel, headscarf, gift wrapping fabric or used as a piece of art. In Japan, many tenegui are printed with pretty designs and they often depict images relating to the season of the moment.
My friend Michiko came over from Japan recently and stayed with me for a few days. One of the lovely gifts she gave me was this fabulous red tenegui. It depicts a woman's leg and foot with a black comb. This was seen as a very provocative image in days gone by and may well have been the leg of a male kabuki actor who portrayed women in kabuki theatre.
I love the use of negative space which is seen as just as important as the main image in Japanese design. Red is also my favourite colour! Now I just need to find the perfect place to hang it in my apartment.
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