I have Never said, and I will Never say that non-Japanese practicing Sashiko is painful to me. That being said, if you think C/A is a real issue, then please don’t worry about it too much & enjoy Sashiko as you do now. Please educate me if I say something ignorant. If you think C/A is nonsense, then educate yourself by learning from others who speak up. I am NOT the one who can educate you about CA as I am still on the side who need to learn C/A as a real issue.
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I will be honest. I used to be one of those who think Cultural Appropriation is Bul_ s__t. So, I am NOT accusing non-Japanese people of enjoying Sashiko at all. I am accusing those who simplify the Core of the culture for their profit & convenience. If one just enjoys Sashiko, then I have no problem. If one starts teaching others as if they are a “true master” of Sashiko without even proper commitment, then it is a problem.
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I have to admit that I am sometimes ashamed by reading others’ comments/posts with a good understanding on C/A. At the same time, in an honest feeling, some concepts of C/A still don’t sit well with me. I realize the reason why I do not fully “feel” the issue is because of me being a Japanese who was born in Japan. A privileged side. I haven’t been through the pain to feel C/A as my own issue. So, my honest writing here is NOT a statement to minimize the significance of C/A. I am sharing that I am still in the process of learning it.
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I hope you enjoy a variety of reactions in my posts/videos. I can tell some are just reacting to the word C/A without even exploring what I convey. That’s what we have to fight against – regardless if we agree or disagree with C/A, the true problem is those who minimize/ignore the issue. We need both the Sun and Moon for Eclipse. They are different, but they both indeed “Exist”. Thank you for all of your input here. All I want is acknowledgement that “it exists”. (It was nice to see the comment from the other side).
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久々に面倒なことに巻き込まれた（あるいは結果的には嗾けたのか？）ので、少々英語の分量が大きくなります。嗾けたと表現したのには理由があって、冗談かと思うほどの面白コメントを頂きました。冗談であって欲しいけど、でも本気でそう思っている人も多くいるのが事実です。どのコメントかは次回の配信でご紹介しますね。自分のアカウントで「あっちいけ」って言われたには苦笑しかないです（笑）
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2024-04-09 09:53:13
People in power from the dominant culture will never understand appropriation until they analyse their own proximity to colonisation and the privilege it affords them
あっちいけですか😮
My fear is that as sashiko becomes popular, we will see “sashiko” pieces from fast fashion brands 😑 They will either be sweatshop embroidery or made by machine. Thank you for keeping the real craft alive.
At the end of the day, the members of the culture get to define what is cultural appropriation and what isn’t. Not all members will agree. That’s the nature of individuality.
I am Hawaiian and I totally understand about cultural appropriation because I experience that with many non-Hawaiians visiting or living in Hawaii. I love sashiko and I try to learn it . My work is imperfect. But when I read your writings sometimes, it takes the joy out of learning for me. Makes me worry instead of exploring and learning how to get better.
Agree 100%. Keep spreading your knowledge of Sashiko, that was learned from a young age in Japan, in a family of Sashiko artisans. Art is art … Sashiko is both art and for function. It is a beautiful expression of human genius over centuries. Bringing it to audiences outside Japan in its true form is a gift to us all of history and beauty, and teaches patience (and a bit of math and geometry) in its practice. Thank you.