Until 2013, I didn’t find “a Light” in living. “Joy” and “Happiness” were something “fabricated” as I didn’t know if they existed. The reason for this pessimistic view comes from my childhood & unique environment I had spent until I went to college in the US… at the same time, my mindset of “pursuing something I don’t have” and “trying to be someone else” defined by so-called “success” was a great part of the difficult time. In short, my life was all about “What For”. Once I shifted “What For” to “For Whom”, my life drastically changed. Well, not much change in “Condition”, but what I saw became completely different.
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Sashiko’s principal is, as you can imagine by now, “For Whom”. Therefore, I feel strange to see Sashiko describe the vehicle to achieve “What For”. There is nothing wrong with achieving something by doing Sashiko – but without the concept of “For Whom”, Sashiko loses its value. In Sashiko particularly, the primitive Sashiko & most authentic way to appreciate Sashiko is to stitch for “someone you care”.
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Today, Sashiko is taught in many languages focused on “technique”, “design” or “Style”. Every single day, I come across someone defining Sashiko the way someone is “limited”. Technique & Designs are an important part of Sashiko – but something very important – here “spirit” – is missing in their teaching, yet they say they know the “answer” for Sashiko. Stitching for someone is for any stitching culture, not only Sashiko. Yet, when the word “Sashiko” is used for “What For”, then it gets simplified. Stop asking for the answer, and start stitching for someone you care about – then you will get the answer for “what Sashiko is”.
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英語圏の刺し子に違和感…というか嫌悪感を抱く様になってもう相当の月日が経って、これまで様々な角度で、思考回路で、「なぜこういう気持ちになるのか」を言語化しようとしてきました。おそらく感覚的なもので完結するものなのでしょうが、どうしても論理に落とし込まないと納得ができない面倒な性格なもので。（だから恵子さんには憧れるのですが）。
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壁にぶち当たった時は「私が好きな刺し子」と向き合う様にしています。沢山の日本在住の刺し子好きな方と運針会を通して繋がれていて、その方々の刺し子は大好きなので、向き合うだけで心は落ち着くし、また考えも形を持ち出します。共通点もあるんです。私はきっと「誰かの為に」作られた刺し子が、本当に本当に好きなんだろうと思います。芸術として、自己表現の方法として刺し子が紹介されている英語圏では「私の刺し子。刺し子は技術よ。私は凄いでしょ。」と自己主張が強い刺し子多く、またその完成品としての結果を何よりも優先するのが嫌なのかもしれません。
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「なぜそれにわざわざ”刺し子”と名付けるの？」という質問。英語に訳すと爆弾になりますが、また聞いてみる必要があるのかもしれません。
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