It is only my understanding, yet maybe powerful to say this, so I will be careful to phrase. It is inevitable to say in order to share our understanding of Sashiko. “Sashiko is NOT a technique of ‘visible-purposed’ mending” in my opinion. (I know I keep saying I am tired of opinions, but I am not criticizing the visible mending culture. It is just an explanation of my strange feeling about words in Sashiko & visible Mending.
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You may feel, “Wait, but Boro is so gorgeous visible mending”. Yes, Boro is the result of Sashiko stitching, which include mending & patching in process. Sashiko is a form of stitching for the purpose. The strangeness I am feeling is toward the word of “visible”.
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When you see a piece of Boro, if you see a lot of patches stitched on, it is probably the “back side (hiding side)” of the piece (fabric). The Japanese who practiced Sashiko felt somewhat shameful to the fact they had to stitch (mend). They wanted to be wealthy enough to wear newly woven fabric. They simply didn’t have choice. As the photos show, the side with less patches (looks as fresh as possible) would be the front side of the Boro.
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We all have a choice to do visible mending now. I enjoy it too. It is a good thing to care the fabric as well as the environment to keep few clothes for a long time instead of shopping them every weekend and end up with the landfill. Slow-Fashion can be a good social impact. However, I want to share the “sense of shame” that the Japanese felt a few hundreds years ago to appreciate what we currently do. They didn’t have a choice but mending, and we merely call the stitching process “Sashiko”. Nothing fancy there.
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In the same context, some say “Boro is a beauty at random by patching whatever the Japanese had”. I have a different view. I feel Boro as a woman’s pride to be more beautiful (fashionable) in the extreme poverty. I see a conflict in Boro piece, Shame & Pride, Poverty (reality) and Beauty. Fabric communicate, so I want you to make a dialogue to the fabric when you enjoy Sashiko. It makes a beautiful Boro & great visual mending.
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最近いろいろ自分の立ち位置を考えていて、やっぱり僕は「刺し子を（で）伝える」のが使命だなと。刺し子もだけど、刺し子から派生する智慧というか考え方というか。そういうのも踏まえてコーチング的なこともやっていけたらなぁ
2019-03-30 22:23:58
I appreciate all the comments & insight here. I am learning a lot, too. They are exactly what I value – be attentive to what we do – since it leads to caring. I wanted to lightly question to the trend that the equation of “Sashiko = Showing-Purpused (Fashionable) Visible Mending” may not be true for everyone (like me). I will write a supplemental post for this. Thank you.
Thank you so very much for this clarification, Atsushi! This has always been my instinctive understanding of Sashiko and Boro. (Maybe because I am not coming from the West.) My heart feels happy for this confirmation
wow😍🙌
I am so glad to read this – I always stress that we have the luxury of choice in our contemporary sashiko stitching and boro-style mending whereas these techniques were born of necessity and poverty and shame. I am glad I started following you and look forward to learning more from you. 💙
I am so glad to read this – I always stress that we have the luxury of choice in our contemporary sashiko stitching and boro-style mending whereas these techniques were born of necessity and poverty and shame. I am glad I started following you and look forward to learning more from you. 💙
その考えは興味を引いたんですね。Your posts are so interesting, I’ve never thought about this side of sashiko before! Thank you 💖
My mom always says: “it’s not because you are poor that you have to look poor” (it refers to my clothings that were very very well worned (well loved) when I was a teenager). She would help us fix our zippers and shorten my pants (because most pants didn’t fit my height). Now it’s a full circle and I use her tools to fix my clothes, and although I do some less visible mending I also do very visible mending to celebrate it, to celebrate my mom and have pride to say that my clothes have holes and I fixed them and yes you can see them and I-know-it-and-you-can-ask-about-it :). I just feel like sharing with no real objectives :). Thank you for sharing your thoughts/stories, it brings out interesting and refreshing conversations.
I appreciate this post very much. Growing up in poverty meant hiding the mends and other signs of repair. Luckily the 1960s in the US celebrated visible mending and patching and my mother happily watched as I did so on my own and my siblings’ clothing. Context and information are critical so we don’t appropriate the practices and words of other cultures.
Excellent explanation!💐
I had the great privilege of seeing a boro exhibit at the Amuse Museum in Tokyo last week. In the next room was impressive and brand-new-looking koginzashi. The contrast was incredible. There is pride in both, but I appreciate what you say about shame. Pride can be used to hide away things we are ashamed of as well as to show off what we are pleased with.
👏J’adore pictures….
This is an aspekt of boro that I have recently come to understand. I think it’s a good thing that you put some light on it! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing further explanation. Makes complete sense.
Thank you for this explanation. I think that when dealing with these art forms a certain reverence and respect is required, I appreciate you bringing this up!
Thanks for sharing! I once heard at a lecture about the japanese brand Kuon who makes suits etc from old boros. I was wondering what old people in Japan think of this. I myself often feel a kind of shame because I like worn things, not only japanese textiles but also swedish. I also like old used furniture better than brand new. I can afford to buy new stuff so I have a choice. I tend to mend my favourite clothes to be able to wear them as long as possible. (My grandma would never have worn clothes like mine) I do a lot of visible mending mainly because I love embroidery. For myself I have come to the conclusion that I like the worn (by me or others before me) because there are traces of life of the people that has had them before.