As I share a lot, I receive many responses thanking me. It is my pleasure to do so, and I appreciate you being here to share what I share to somewhat preserve the Sashiko we practice. When I say I am “sharing everything” with our Sashiko to preserve it, I receive many supportive comments like “I agree with you”. Well, let’s step back. I do not want you to agree so easily as this is an extreme choice I had to make. This is very important, and I need to clarify.
☆
There are many artisans & professional craftsmen (for Japanese, we have a name for them “Shokunin”). They tend to be hesitant to “share” – as they aren’t good at communicating, expressing, and putting their thoughts into words. I decided to share the Sashiko we practice because I couldn’t stand the emptiness of the Sashiko introduced in English. However, I would never think that “being shared on the Internet” is better than “being lost”. It is their choice. It is my Choice. When I see an artisan who decides to NOT to share, I completely understand. It is extremely painful. It wasn’t an easy decision. It is still not an easy decision.
☆
I understand the feeling of artisans who do not speak up. Some are satisfied with what they do. The other may have just given up in this society. I was one of those. In this society, it is NOT the artisans’ solo-responsibility to pass down the practice. It is OUR responsibility to “receive” it, and moreover convince them to hand it over by showing respect & more importantly “seriousness”. It is “us” who need to be wise, not the artisans. How do we become wise? It is easy – just know who you are learning from. Culture is like a thread connecting all the dots, and it takes time to learn it.
☆
–
–
–
☆
昨日の投稿の続きです。「守る為に共有する」というのは私の選択であって、他の職人さん達に求められるものではありません。「共有する」というのは、とても怖くて不安なことです。痛みも伴います。全ての可能性を考慮して、人間を信じる「覚悟」があって、ようやく一歩が踏み出せます。後継者がいないまま失われていく技術は、決して職人だけの責任ではありません。全てを曝け出す（受け渡す）職人の覚悟と対等に渡り合えるだけの覚悟を持つ人がどれだけいるか…というお話。趣味や少しの副業程度なら覚悟はいりません。でも「先生」として教えるのであれば、ある程度の覚悟は欲しいと思うのです。技術じゃありません（もちろん技術もだけど）。覚悟なんです。残念ながら、今の英語圏の刺し子には、「それ」を見つけ出せていません。だからこそ思いを発信しているのです。
☆
#Sashiko #刺し子 #JapaneseSashiko
via IFTTT