I am here to share the Sashiko we practice. The majority of people here understand what I am trying to share – the stories developed in the different culture from yours. At the same time, I have numbers of “trolls (haters)” as well. I believe it is because I say what I need to say instead of faking myself to be nice. One may like/study Japanese or Japanese culture, but it doesn’t make them my friend. I want to be your friend, but friendship requires some honesty and integrity. “I study Zen (so I know you more)” is a completely wrongful statement from many perspectives.
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I guess what I am doing now is very against the social requirement to be “successful”. Since my goal is very simple & clear, to pass down the Sashiko with as few unnecessary changes as possible, I say something they do not want to say. Japanese are nice in many ways – however, it may be just them not saying what they really think because they exclude others first. I used to. Now, I prioritize honesty. The Japanese have a word for “Showing side (Tatemae)” and “Hiding Side (Honne)” in what we do/say. It is the same as Sashiko. At the same time, therefore, we developed the culture of making both sides as the “finished side”. It is okay to make knots in Sashiko. However, it is NOT okay to say “people made knots in Sashiko” if you aren’t Japanese. There are artisans who tried their best to improve their skill so they didn’t need knots, and we received that skill. (The Jacket is single layer with both sides as the “clean” side).
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先日からご紹介しているジャケット、お気づきの方もいらっしゃるかもしれませんが、一枚布を繋ぎ合わせて作っています。裏布を貼ってはいません。刺し子において「玉止め」をすることは、間違いでも駄目なことでもありません。ただ、日本人以外の人が、「刺し子は玉止めをする」と教えるのはどうなのかなと思います。そこには裏付けがないから。重ねができる上で玉止めを理由と共に進めるのは良いのですが、重ねと重ねに耐えうる糸を作ってきた職人を蔑ろにする流れは、やっぱり止めたいんですよね。「重ねを敢えてせず玉止め」と「重ねできないから玉止め」の間には違いがあって、それを日本語以外で教える場合は、文化を壊していると理解して欲しいんです。（日本国内であれば玉止めをする刺し子が存在しただろうと思うので、重ねができなくても問題はないと思っています。日本語では簡単に文化を統一化はできないので。）
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