There’s one thing Japanese swords and tenugui (Japanese cotton hand towels) have in common — they’re both precious items for their owners, whether samurai or sweaty businessman. Now, if you disagree with placing katana and hand towels side-by-side on the same scale, at least know that they are both items that are deeply embedded into the Japanese culture, and are/were frequently utilized by the people.

But while tenugui can be purchased virtually anywhere in the country, it’s a lot more difficult to have your very own sword, and pretty much impossible to have one that was once used by a legendary Japanese samurai.

Put the two together, however, and you’ll get Japanese-style hand towels printed with the images of Japan’s most legendary samurai warriors.

Currently collecting funds on Japanese crowdfunding site A-port is a new project that will allow you have a highly detailed samurai katana on a towel, to hang on your wall as interior decoration or to simply wipe your sweat with.

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Source: A-port

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Source: A-port

As of this moment, there are towels made after the swords of 4 past warriors — Kondō Isami, Sakamoto Ryōma, Hijikata Toshizō, and Saigō Takamori. Each towel is printed with a high-resolution illustrated image of the samurais’ personal swords, and depict minute details unattainable with traditional dyeing techniques. And by making a contribution to the project, you’ll be able to get one from anywhere in the world!

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Source: A-port

The project was started as a celebration of the 150-year anniversary of the end of Japan’s Bakumatsu Period. The warriors above were all legendary samurai of this period, and they are being commemorated once more before the actual anniversary in 2017.

If you love samurai, Japanese katana, or are just looking for a new towel to carry around during the summer, you can get the samurai sword hand towel here through the project’s crowdfunding site.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.