I enjoy sharing the “ordinary” (which is often related to animism & Shinto) of J

I enjoy sharing the “ordinary” (which is often related to animism & Shinto) of Japanese culture & Sashiko. It is my pleasure to read your feedback to celebrate the difference/similarity. Thank you. Come to think of it, in fact, “Sharing Sashiko” should be like this – not only the “how to” or “how it looks”. Sharing the stories is the responsibility of an individual who teaches cultural matters. It is important to understand “why” instead of saying “just because”. If they don’t know, they shouldn’t teach. Therefore, I say “please be mindful when you use the foreign words” – here, Sashiko and Boro. Misuse of the words may be categorized as “Cultural Appropriation” today, but even without this categorization, using foreign words to make money with limited understanding sounds vulgar.

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Replying to a comment – yes, some people don’t have much experience in breaking the hand-sewing needle. The end of needles’ “life” is not only when it is broken. A bit of bend may be the sign. Sometimes, needles can get rusty (which reduces the smoothness in stitching). Also, the Sashiko needles are relatively “easy” to break, especially when we work on heavy fabric & don’t know the appropriate posture. There is a “why” for that. What is the purpose of Sashiko? To make the “Fabric” strong, right? Therefore, the priority is fabric. Too strong (too big eye) needles may damage the fabric, and therefore, the needle has to be the (super important) supporting role. I hear people say “Whatever (needle) is fine” in Sashiko – but without knowing why, the culture can be modified with ignorance. Sharing the story is my responsibility here.

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毎日のように、「刺し子とは」と英語で書いていて、自動翻訳等で読まれている方には、「何を偉そうに……」と思われてしまう方もいるかもしれません。”日本（人）の刺し子を残したい”という願いは、そこだけ切り取ると仰々しく、また堅苦しくなりますから。ただ、英語での文章は多くの日本人にとって当たり前の事を書いているだけです。例えばですが、神社参拝には作法があります。その作法には沢山の理由（物語）があります。霊性に深く関わる観念が当たり前に存在する文化、それが日本文化です。「神社参拝好き！」という方がいれば、作法はしっかり知っていて欲しい。同様に、針にも、布にも、刺し子にも、物語があります。日本人で刺し子を続けていれば、いずれ辿り着く物語です。日本語で文献がある程度残ってるから。日本語以外では残念ながら、文献は僅かです。だからこその毎日の投稿なのです。自分の英語が下手だからと遠慮してる場合じゃないんですよね、もう。

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2021-02-09 09:41:09

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