You and I. We are both Human beings. We breathe in Oxygen, and exhale carbon dio

You and I. We are both Human beings. We breathe in Oxygen, and exhale carbon dioxide. We eat to live. So, from this perspective, we are the “same”. However, as we appreciate what we have (& achieved) in civilization, we now celebrate diversity – we are the same (as human beings), but we are different as an individual (personality), a group (culture/background), and many other things. I think it is a great thing.
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This is not my Sashiko – Koginzashi done by one of my Japanese students who learned Sashiko from me (I cannot believe). I don’t practice Koginzashi as I know I am not really good at it. As much as I feel I need to challenge myself, I am okay with drawing the line there. What I do & Koginzashi are both Sashiko – but different. We do not have to make it the same. There are a numbers of Sashiko with these “differences” in Japan – some are well-known, others are completely hidden (Un-Told).
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I hope this analogy explains the fear of one saying “Oh, I know Sashiko” and start telling the “right” answers to others. There are completely different rules in Koginzashi, and we are about to visit a master to learn it even for a tip of this. I do respect one’s freedom – we live with our personal “right” to be in freedom. However, please be noted that someone’s freedom can minimize, or worse eliminate the diversity on the other ends. While I am in Japan, I am a student. In fact, I have been a student since I restarted Sashiko. I am so happy to share more stories here about “Sashiko in Japan”.
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沢山の方々のお力添えと応援を頂いて、今回の日本旅行を形にすることができています。オンラインで頂いた縁を丁寧に育み、オフラインで繋ぐとここまで力強いものになるのかと、涙腺ゆるゆるで感動しています。昔はずーっと一人だと思ってたんですけどね。確かに刺し子は独りになる時間が多い手芸ですが、同時に一人じゃないと、過去も未来も国も時差も何もかも越えて「今」で刺し子を基準に繋がれるのは、本当に素敵だなと思います。
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英語圏で刺し子をお伝えしたゲストを日本に迎えているのですが、このような素敵な「こぎん刺し」は私の今の力では形にできません。初心に戻り、先生のお話を真摯に伺ってこようと思います。「継続」って本当に凄いことで、一つのことを数年、数十年、半世紀も続けているような人からは必ず学べる何かを得られるのです。今回の先生から学べる「何か」は多すぎるのがわかってるので消化できるように準備万端で。
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2023-04-12 05:07:29

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