Nassen
Nassen, the traditional hand-dyeing method for tenugui hand towels
There are two main way of dyeing tenugui hand towels: Nassen and Chusen. Nassen is a traditional
technique performed since ancient times in which the fabric is dyed by rubbing the dye directly onto it. Tenassen is that method done by hand ("te"is Japanese for "hand"), with craftsmen coloring each piece one color at a time. One feature of this method is the beautiful colors and intricate patterns that are created by applying each color by hand one at a time. Using this method with delicate Tokuoka fabric means that complex and intricate patterns can be reproduced while also maintaining the fabric texture one expects from a tenugui hand towel. Additionally, as Nassen dyeing is done by applying the dye to the front, and dose not penetrate to the back of the fabric, you can also create tenigui hand towels with distinctly different front and back sides. For prints (transfers) in which pigments are simply place on the fabric, the back side remains white, but Tokuoka fabric dyed with the Tenassen hand-dyeing process boasts a beautiful finished look with no discernible difference between which side is the front and back.