A Tenugui (手拭い) is a thin Japanese hand towel made of cotton and is typically about 35 by 90 centimeters in size, plain weaved and is almost always dyed with some pattern.
It can be used for anything a towel could be used for - as a washcloth, dishcloth, headband, souvenir or decoration.
Towels made from terry cloth have replaced many of its use in the household.
However tenugui are still popular as souvenirs, decorations, and as a head covering in kendo, where it functions as a sweatband, as extra padding beneath the headgear (men), and to identify the participants by team color. (Source: Wikipedia)