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I sometimes say that it is “too late” to pass down “Sashiko”. Many encourage me saying “nothing is too late”, yet some agree with me that the Sashiko in English has become something different. It is true that nothing is “too late” to start. However, there are reasons for my pessimistic expression: Why is it so difficult to find someone who shares stories about Sashiko rather than just teaching “How To”? As Sashiko is a cultural practice, there should be millions of stories out there, right?
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The language barrier kicks in here. Decades (or +50) of experience & English Proficiency do not come together often. Also, a Japanese character of “Shame” may influence why their “personal” stories are not out there. I understand that the Stories often are contained within a family. So, what I am doing is insane, or even embarrassing for some Japanese. Yet, therefore, I say, it may be too late to fully understand what Sashiko is as those family members who received Stories are getting old.
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Well. “Too Late” isn’t a reason for me to quit. No matter how devastated I become, I won’t stop stitching & sharing stories as I receive much support. The more I receive, the more I realize the importance of my role. It is just “Sashiko” as ordinary. But, because it’s ordinary, it is so precious to preserve. The visit to Japan is this. I am so fortunate to greet a number of Sashiko practitioners in Japan. I sincerely appreciate your Support (Donation) on GiveButter, and I will make sure to use it as effectively as possible – to share the Stories we, as Japanese Sashiko Artisans, will carry. (Detail Story will be available in a dedicated webpage).
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昨日、無事運針会を開催することができました。開催を重ねる毎に運針とは面白いものだなぁと実感を重ねています。刺し子に限らず日本的な技術や知恵というのは「見て覚える」側面があります。学ぶ側の努力が必要なんですね。逆に西洋では教える側が努力することが求められます。「技術を伝えられないのは生徒か先生かどちらの責任か？」面白い文化比較です。
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見て覚えることが当たり前だと、教える側が「何が分からないか分からない」と言う究極の悩みからはある程度解放されます。私が運針会を始めた時に、「運針の何をお教えするの？」とこぼした言葉に真実があります。刺し子を再始動する中で一人になり、刺し子と向き合い、自分にとって当たり前をできるだけ細分化してきました。結果が運針会であり英語圏での活動です。結果、とても簡単に刺し子をお伝えすることができます。まじで。簡単だと思う。
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次回運針会、5月22日（月）の朝9時からを検討しています。興味のある方は是非プロフィール欄のリンクから詳細を一読頂き、ご連絡頂けましたら幸いです！
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#Sashiko #刺し子

 

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When we share something “Cultural”, it is important to pay attention to the “Connection” to each dot. Here, a dot is a piece of information (or a simplified “answer” or “definition”). As we look for fast & instantaneous answers, we often get satisfied with the dots themselves. We search for the answer online, and we stop looking into the topic when we find “one” dot. It is okay when we just “enjoy” someone’s culture, I guess. However, when they “teach” or “share” about the culture, ignorance/indifference to the connection can destroy the culture. I believe the core of the Cultural Appropriation Issue is “missing connection” – mostly unintentionally, and worse case, “intentionally”.
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I say “Sashiko Thread Matters”. I appreciate many agreeing with me after they use it. I often get ignorant comments saying [thread doesn’t matter as Sashiko is mending]. Yes, mending is an important part of Sashiko, yet when we focus on the “connection” between dots, one cannot say “thread doesn’t matter” as Sashiko was developed on the “wishes” of people with no choices for them to avoid mending as much as they could. Instead of us embracing the mending with an abundance of choices, Sashiko started its practice to “hide/avoid” the mending itself. Therefore, thread matters. The thread we use is an outcome of the wishes.
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A.I. can give us millions of “dots” when we ask. We fear that humans may lose our own significance. I believe this “connecting dots” is the way to co-exists in the wealth of culture & life-quality. Sashiko is the opposite of A.I., so I don’t want “Sashiko Teachers” to be like an A.I. which only provides the dots. Sashiko is more: Connection, Ability to read between lines (read what is NOT said/written)… Sashiko can represent some of the “superpower” we have – so, please don’t give up on that.
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「点を線に、線を面に」。この当たり前のようなことが、実は海外ではとても貴重なのかもしれません。点と線と面。点の自己主張が強すぎると多面的な変化はありません。文化とはきっと様々な線で作られた面の集合体だと思うのですよ。刺し子も同様で、針目と線と布で形ができます。一つの針目だけで完結する刺し子はなく、それはきっと「一人の人間では完結しない人生」という人間の本質にも繋がるのではと思っています。自己主張は大切です。個人の自由は尊重されるべきです。ただ、「繋がり」を軽視することは文化の、そして人間そのものの否定に繋がってしまう。だからこそ、英語圏での「自由な刺し子」には疑問を投げ続けたいと思っています（日本語圏では自由で最高だと思っています）。
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#Sashiko #刺し子

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As I talk about Cultural Appropriation (which is probably different from what is discussed in general, so please read what I say first), I sometimes get a comment asking what they can do to respect it (avoid C/A). In Sashiko, they ask if purchasing “it (items, supplies, and tools)” from Japanese people would be respectful enough. Maybe so. That would be great. However, this is not always true. Understanding 2 categories of “business” would be more important than filtering based on the background.
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The key concept is “vehicle” as a means to bring us to the destination (goal). We have to know there are 2 categories here. (1) is the one who uses Sashiko as a vehicle to reach their goal of making money. (2) is the one who uses “money” as a vehicle to reach their goal of continuing to enjoy Sashiko. My wish is to purchase “it” from those in category (2). This categorization isn’t good or bad. It is how we approach our days (ordinary).
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In this society, the majority would be (1) as capitalism strongly focuses on “money”. A merchant teaches Sashiko to sell their products rather than an actual practitioner selling what they use for cultural sustainability. When the merchant misrepresents themselves as “masters”, then the C/A will happen. If they are merchants, they should be proud of being merchants.
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Some accuse me of “selling” my own culture. I never say “making money” is bad. Money is necessary to keep it going. I just want the world to be mindful of the “vehicles” and “goals”, though. My goal is to pass down the Sashiko we practice, and money is the vehicle to go there. No matter how “rich” I become, I will be stitching like I do today. Be mindful whom you are purchasing from – and what they (merchants) set as their goal. What is their “vehicle” and “goal”? Don’t be fooled by words. It is often represented by their actions.
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刺し子家業に生まれて、刺し子を「商売」としてずっと見てきた経験から、商売という営みも文化が強く影響するなぁと思っています。近江商人の経営哲学、「三方よし」が徹底されていれば文化の盗用という概念すら生まれない訳で。「目的」と「手段」の話だと思います。お金を稼ぐ為に刺し子をするのか、刺し子をする為にお金を稼ぐのか。どちらも正解です。ただ、偽っちゃいけない。今の英語圏の刺し子は、これを偽っている人が多い気がするのです。だからきっと私のアカウントのような好き勝手言ってる（でも矛盾にはできるだけ気を付けて愚直に）スタイルをフォロー頂けるのかもしれません。
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#Sashiko #刺し子

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When I say “Sashiko is NOT Art (to me)”, some agree saying Sashiko is a form of “Folk Art”. The general definition of “Folk Art” may describe Sashiko, yet I feel a need of sharing another Japanese word – “Mingei (民藝)”. Well… when I look for the English translation for Mingei, it will be “Folk Art”… so, I am like playing with words… but before offering the answer Sashiko as “folk Art”, I want the world to know the beautiful & unique concept of “Mingei”.
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“Mingei” is a more popular word than Sashiko. Soetsu (Muneyoshi) Yanagi found the beauty in “usage” – calling it “You-Soku-Bi 用即美”. He defined “Mingei” with 8 characteristics of its function & beauty. Sashiko was also found as a part of this movement. I am “Not” saying Sashiko is equal to Mingei, though. It is true that Sashiko “can” be under the definition of “Mingei”, but for me who actually have observed people stitching, it is more… personal. When Mingei categorizes the beauty in a “community”, I find Sashiko in a smaller size such as “family”… or even “parent and child”.
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I won’t explain the whole picture of my understanding toward Mingei & Sashiko here. It will be like a chapter (which I wrote & it became a chapter on Patreon…). All I am doing here by sharing stories is to ask you/them to not to “define” the answer so easily. Unfortunately, without understanding Japanese, one cannot fully understand what Sashiko is. No need to understand Sashiko fully to enjoy Sashiko itself – I just want to stop the trend of “someone” being a master without even knowing these “basic” knowledge. In Japan, I will try to find a sample of “Mingei”, and hopefully I can elaborate more while sharing more photos & stories. (But again, for me, Sashiko isn’t really equal to Mingei).
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もしかしたら配信で図を書きながらの説明になるかもしれませんが、個人的に「刺し子」と「民藝」は横一列には並ばないと思っています。「用即美」の概念含め、民藝で定義された美学と刺し子が一致する箇所は沢山あります。でも、では「刺し子は民藝か？」と問われると、自信を持って「はい！」とは答えられないのです。多分民藝だけど、でも、ちょっと民藝っぽくないとこも…と曖昧にしたまま今日を迎えていて、もっと言うと、この曖昧さが大切かなすら思っているところです。そんなに難しく考えなくて良いのですが、日本国外で言葉が一人歩きして勝手な答えを身に纏い出すと、やっぱり考えてしまうのですよ。
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10 years. It is a bit too long for one person to be away from “Home” without reasons. I cannot believe I am nervous to go back to my own country. It is insane. I have reasons that I didn’t go back to Japan for this long. I am not taking a risk to share what are the “reasons” on the Internet… but it is happening thanks to many people from the Internet.
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Many tried to convince me of the importance for me to go back to Japan. I had a good & strong excuse – “money” – for not going back to Japan. I didn’t have enough luxury to go back with my family, or even by myself. Some even offered me financial help – which I didn’t have to take for the cancellation due to the pandenic… but it was very encouraging to receive supportive comments.
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This year, I am very happy to share “The Sashiko I have been talking about” throughout this tour with 8 participants. At the same time, I would like to involve as many people as possible, especially those who have been supporting us & offered some support to us. Although I cannot take them with me, I want them to be a part of this tour somehow. After thinking about it for a long time, I decided to open a platform to accept support. This is probably a way to be fair with everyone, and try to involve them as much as I can. While I am in Japan, I won’t have an hour everyday to write a post. Instead, I will share as much as I can on “Stories” on Instagram & a Blog I prepare. I will share the platform soon on “Story” with a link to it.
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Again, I cannot thank those who offered financial support when I got stuck years ago. I have reasons that I hesitate to go back – yet, the encouragement was heartwarming, and I am still here sharing thanks to those kindnesses. I get many “attacks” from trolls here, but I get more kindness & that’s the reason I keep sharing the Sashiko we practice.
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母国である日本に10年帰っていない。常識的に考えれば「帰っていない理由」があるはずで、私も例に漏れず帰っていない理由があります。これまで向き合うことを拒否してきましたが。実際に帰国が近づくにつれ、体が拒否反応を示しだしているのですが、「今帰らないとマジで一生帰れなくなる」気がしているからこその色んな意味での強行突破な気がします。いつか笑って話せる日がくるかなぁ。もう10年経ってるけど、痛みも記憶も薄れないもんなんだなぁ。
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#Sashiko #刺し子

 

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We Offer Learning Opporutnities Online!

Interested in the Sashiko We practice? Please Learn Sashiko From US!

Sashiko Online Class | Anywhere Anytime.

---

Our Sashiko Supplies are available here.

http://upcyclestitches.com/store