Welcome to Nipponcraft custom tenugui website!!

Custom tenugui for Kendo - We will make custom tenugui for your Dojo. Our skilled artisan will make custom tenugui beautifully with the traditional method.
We will custom-print your design on tenugui. If the design complexity is within our hand-making craftsmanship, we will make up your tenugui with the unique Japanese traditional print (dye) method "Chu-sen" ( 注染 ) (see more).
A "Chu-en" tenugui removes sweat very well even if it is dyed with dark background color, and it is good for sports-use - our printing quality is better than pigment-printing. In addition, a "Chu-sen" tenugui is traditional feel, beautiful, and tough.

Please layout your logo, name, and other writings (such as a tournament's name and calligraphy) proportionally to tenugui dimensions, then we will print your design accordingly on 100% cotton tenugui fabric. The tenugui dimensions are either standard size: (33- 34 cm) X 90 cm, or wide&long size: (35 - 36) cm X 100 cm. Please choose your tenugui size that fits you well.

The minimum order quantity (MOQ) of "Chu-sen" tenugui is 77 for the standard size and 72 for the wide&long size. MOQ is for only one design, please. MOQ cannot be separated into 2 or 3 different designs. FYI, MOQ comes from the minimum length of fabric roll necessary for the mass production run.

Please allow us approx. 3 weeks for the production.

For estimation, just to "support@nipponcraft.com" with your design image (JPEG/PDF). We look forward to your contact. Thank you very much!

Here are some notes:

• A decorative design will result in high cost, therefore we recommend you to simply place your logo and writing on single background color, or to make the tenugui black & white, like examples. Typical price of single background color custom-tenugui may be 900 - 1.200 JPY (US$7.2 - $9.6) per each when you order the minimum quantity of 72 pieces.
• Sometimes, we need to advise you design update/change so that we can produce with the "Chu-sen" method.

The followings are more information and details.

We would like to recommend "Chu-sen" (as described in (1)) for dojo tenugui, because Chu-sen tenugui have more traditional touch and are more tough. However, we can't make very complex designs with Chu-sen because the design is hand-carved by an artisan on a stencil for printing. When the design has many detailed lines, we have the orthodox silkscreen option ("Nassen" as described in (2))

(1) "Chu-sen" (注染) method - This is the traditional hand-making method invented many years ago in Osaka. Chu-sen tenugui are double-sided like samples. All process are done by artisans' hands. Your design will be hand-carved on a stencil and then will be hand-printed on fabrics. Since hand-making, all lines in the design must be at least 2 mm broad and each color must be apart each other by 1 cm.
Chu-sen is a dye-penetration method (dyes penetrated to the backside of tenugui fabric). "Chu" means "to pour", and "Sen" means "to dye". "Chu-sen" method was invented to produce multi-color tenugui more economically without setting up many silkscreens. Typically, one silkscreen is needed for one color.
With Chu-sen, graduated color presentations are also possible.
The "Chu-sen" facility Miya-zome is located in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture (栃木県宇都宮市).

(2) Silkscreen method ("Nassen") - This is the ordinary single-sided printing method (please see samples). A silkscreen will be created by machine, and your design will be hand-printed on a tenugui using the silkscreen. We will use this method for a very complex design with many detailed lines.
The advantage of "Nassen" is the exact copy of the complex design to a tenugui fabric. To reduce the cost of "Nassen" tenugui, we recommend you to incorporate only one or two colors. With this method, graduated color presentations are not possible.
The "Nassen" facility (Bamba) is located in Kyoto.

In either method, final color on a fabric may not exactly match with a color swatch on a paper. Although artisans will strive to be accurate, the final results will depend on the workmanship.

Lead Time

Please allow 15 - 20 working days in Japan for the production, plus delivery time.

Acknowledgements

Please acknowledge that the lines may not be so straight as printed by PC printers and that there might appear some blots during dyeing. You may see some inaccuracy on the final product. The design and color on the final tenugui might not exactly match with your original design created on your PC. Especially, the colors created on PC highly depend on a screen resolution, printer & ink type and paper quality. Also, even if you send us Pantone or DIC color swatches, the colors on tenugui might not exactly match with those colors. Dyed colors on a cotton fabric is often different from the printed colors on a piece of paper. However, our artisans will stive to be exact and to match with your design and colors.

Sorry to say, test printing for your color validation before the full-run is NOT available for "Chu-sen" method. Moreover, we produce all of your order at one time, so 10-20 pieces manufacturing before the full-run is not available either.

Payment Method

PayPal, VISA/MasterCard/JCB/AEMEX. Payment currency is Japanese Yen (JPY). PayPal will convert JPY into your local currency based on the exchange and will subtract from your deposit. For residents in Japan, the bank transfer is optional.

Shipping Cost and VAT

Shipping cost depends on the tenugui quantity and shipping destination. We will estimate the shipping cost.
Additionally, please pay the import tax and/or VAT (local tax) of your country. We can never anticipate these tax amounts from Japan, as they will be levied by your government.

Cancel and Return

Sorry to say, we cannot accept your cancel or return after the production run has started.

Order Condition

• Your logo positioning on a tenugui need to be presented from a customer.
• Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ): 77 - 72 (for one design; you cannot divide the MOQ into several designs).
• Payment requested before the production run.
• Payment not refundable after the production run starts.
• No design change, No cancellation after the production run has started.

(Article Last Update: May, 2022)