Unknown Maker, Japanese

Towels (tenugi) were often symbolic objects in themselves. They are hung in temples as decorative and symbolic cloths. The typical colors for temple cloths were blue, white, or copper. Tenugi are made of narrow widths of cotton, typically measuring 12 by 18 inches.

The combination of the crane and the subtly suggested pine tree points to the auspicious message of longevity and to the lunar new year, although it could also indicate a particular family whose crest included a pine motif.