“Why do you do Sashiko?”. How would you answer this question? To relax? To enjoy beautiful stitches? To recycle the waste? To contribute to slow-fashion & sustainability? To protect the environment? To slow-down? To be mindful?
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All of them are true & good reasons for why you do Sashiko. However, please be advised that the answer with these purposes is already filtered by “western mindset”. I am not talking about good or bad. I just want you to know the difference.
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“Why do(did) you do Sashiko” has been a question I always held, yet barely could ask in my childhood. I had to be careful in asking because many artisans including my mother looked at me as if I lost my mind. It is difficult to translate, but “just because” would be the non-verbal answer I received. Later, when I had a bit more “control”, I asked some to be more logical. Their answer, which is my answer today, is “I don’t know”.
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The purpose is important to be efficient. However, some of the purpose happened to be just one of the results of just stitching. I barely do Sashiko for relaxation. I happened to feel relaxed when I get in a good rhythm in Sashiko. We pay great attention for the “Cause and effect – Inga (因果)”. I hope you enjoy being mindful without any purpose as well (It requires a LOT of unlearning, though).
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「なぜ（人は）刺し子をするのか」。僕の人生の命題でもあり、また口に出すのを畏れてしまう質問でもあります。幼少期は特別この疑問が強くて、限界が来た時には職人さんに聞いてました。「なんで刺し子をするのか」と。ほぼほぼ、「何を聞かれているのかわからない」表情から始まり、その後、「淳は何アホなことを質問しているだろう？」と少し遠い目をされる。そんな風景が記憶に残っています。「刺し子をするから刺し子をする」のだという理解です。それ以上に「なぜ」を突き詰めると、「わからない」となります。それだけ刺し子を日常として捉えていた人達の刺し子を幼少期の目に焼き付けられたのは、一番の宝物なんだろうなと思っています。ま、当時は嫌で仕方なかったですけどね。
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