Sashiko is simple. This is a true statement. However, from a teaching perspective, there is a big difference between me saying it & someone non-Japanese saying it even if the statement itself is the exact same. I welcome everyone to enjoy Sashiko. As much as I appreciate the worries & concern for Cultural Appropriation (C/A), I do not want C/A to limit their creativity & fun. Therefore, in order to keep it this way, it is very important to be mindful of whom we are learning Sashiko, or anything for that matter, from.
☆
I “assume” they say “Sashiko is Simple” , associating it with its ease of stitching. Well, it is easy to enjoy Sashiko – but it is extremely difficult to teach the “simplicity” of Sashiko. When a teacher confuses the words “simple” and “easy”, then the C/A issue occurs. In general terms, I understand C/A applies to anyone who “consumes” it. For me, who still is learning what “consume” means in this line of definition, it is a matter of “Responsibility”. I have never met any Japanese Sashiko artisans, or masters with many decades say they know about Sashiko. None. They always specify “which” Sashiko they are representing – it is the sense of responsibility to protect their own Sashiko, and another responsibility (care) to preserve(respect) others. I never say & will say I understand “The Sashiko” – never use fancy words such as “supreme”, “ultimate”, “the whole”, “concluding”… you name it.
☆
As I am not so smart, I would like to keep things simple. I want you to enjoy Sashiko. If you worry about C/A, then don’t worry about it. Call it Sashiko if you want. Just be mindful of whom you are learning from – where the upstream of teachers’ teacher. If they think they know enough about Sashiko saying “Sashiko is Simple (Easy)” or worse “just because”… then, they may be “rewriting” the culture, with or without (good) intentions. I do not want to experience it again.
☆
–
–
–
☆
英語に戻りました。配信等で「日本語圏のフォロワーさん増えないんだよなぁ」と呟くと、「英語の分量に圧倒されて…」という助言を頂きます。わかっているのですが、伝えなければいけないことの言語別の比率が日本語1に対して英語20くらいあるんです。その分量の違いです。また長々と英語での投稿を再開します。日本語でもしっかりと文章を書き続けますので、是非刺し子への思いを日々読み取って頂けたら嬉しいです。
☆
2023-03-10 09:48:32
日本語の文章を続けてください!英文でも和文でも両方は大事だと思います。
I agree. You remind me of when yoga came to north america and was seen as only physical exercise. The real point was lost in a rush towards profiting by making it seem ‘simple’ and ‘easy’. Easy is not always better.
I agree and appreciate what you said here. In addition to some people thinking ”simple means easy,” people sometimes don’t understand the value that Japanese people/culture see in simplicity and how this translates into art and craft fom Japan.
Thank you once again. I think it’s important to talk about this in the context of our culture of convenience…the value placed on ‘easy’, or ‘little effort required’. It goes hand in hand with our consumer culture. Sashiko, in my limited understanding, is the opposite of convenience & consumption, which I why I find it so meaningful (and beautiful).
素晴らしい😊👍
私も刺し子が大好き💕です😊