“Wow. It is so beautiful. I cannot believe it is all hand-stitched”. Receiving f

“Wow. It is so beautiful. I cannot believe it is all hand-stitched”. Receiving feedback like this is a goal of our Sashiko. We are a duo of a mother & her son. Keiko remains the same, simply stitching & producing “the Sashiko” she admires. Her passion is toward inner herself – and that’s very much like Japanese artisan. I, Atsushi, was like her before. I thought the (authentic) Sashiko would be passed down to the next generation when we “just” focus on making what we feel as “authentic”. The reality is – I was too naive. I am learning, and I need to work hard to protect from capitalism/tokenism.

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“Tokenism”, “White Domination (Supremacy)”, “Cultural Colonialism”, “Artistic License“, and “Cultural Appropriation”. These are the new words/concepts for me – and I need to educate myself. As a native Japanese who was raised in a relatively Single Ethnic Nation ( in comparison to other multiethic nation. This doesn’t minimize the existence of other ethnic in Japan such as Ainu.), suppression without choices was completely outside of my attention. 

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Please, please do not twist my words. It is NOT my intention to attack “white” with insisting “White Guilt”. I am merely asking for a moment to be mindful – to doubt our common sense, when we talk about foreign culture. In Asia, the Japanese performed as if Japan was the Monarch of the other Asians in history. It is(was) wrong, and we need to educate ourselves. I am NOT judging the past. I am asking for “today’s care” toward the future – where our children do not have to even learn about the words above (at least, learn the word as history, not on-going issues). 

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This is an account to share “Sashiko”. My intention is to focus on Sashiko, as the first phrase we would like to receive. However, sharing the cultural perspective is very important to preserve the culture, and I feel it is my job to do. 

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最近英語の分量が増えてしまっております（笑）それだけ伝えたいことがあるんです。日本語での情報発信を疎かにしていると大反省したので、そちらも頑張ります。あー分身したい（俺が二人いたら叫ぶほど面倒臭いと思うけど）。恵子さんは引き続きしっかり刺し子作品作ってくれてます。二人のバランス、大事。

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2020-08-23 10:06:21

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