Japanese Kitchen Towel

This white kitchen towel is composed of cotton and rayon, making it great for wiping surfaces, drying hands, and cleaning dishware without leaving any residual lint. It may look simple at first sight, but this towel is in fact the result of expert design and rigorous trial and error.

In the late 1950s, when Japan was going through a period of rapid economic development, the lead editor of a popular homemaking magazine called Kurashi no Techo (Notebook of Everyday Life), was unsatisfied with the lack of well-functioning kitchen towels available. Determined to invent the perfect kitchen towel for everyday use, she conducted a survey between homemakers asking for improvements and found that the main qualities desired were high absorbancy, longevity, and softness. In collaboration with a textile manufacturer, a number of fabrics were produced and tested in various materials and styles of weaving to meet those requisites. Finally after 3 years of experimentation, the ideal kitchen towel was achieved, resulting in the use of a textile pattern called the Panama weave, in which the warp and weft of the threads are interlaced evenly, almost like a checkerboard. This same design that was finalized 60 years ago is pictured here and continues to be a household favorite for daily tasks to this day.

Item Details:
65% Cotton
35% Rayon

Currently only available in the red border.

L 28" x W 17"