Sashiko isn’t “Lost” yet.

Sashiko isn’t “Lost” yet.

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In Japan, there are still Sashiko artisans who can make these kinds of Sashiko Jackets. We can touch it, wear it, use it, and own it if we want. They aren’t behind the exhibition glass. There are people who live in this culture – Sashiko is an ongoing practice/culture in Japan.

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As you may know, I don’t need to write a post in English. In fact, I didn’t explain Sashiko in English for a long time. Becoming a POC in the US from a native Japanese changed me. Caring people taught me a lot of things. The majority “choose” the history to teach the “convenient” facts. I do not want to see a gap between “what is taught” and “what is(was) practiced”, and the only way to prevent the gap is to speak up in “their” language.

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Therefore, I say, it is okay that you didn’t know. It’s not that you didn’t want to learn. You only had a chance to learn from filtered & available information. “It” wasn’t there. Now, you found the actual voice from today’s Sashiko artisan from Japan. I believe it is safe to say that the people unfollowing me after reading what I have been writing is mindfully “choosing” to ignore the voice. They are contributing to a scary fact of “rewriting” the history for their convenience. It is not (only) special chosen people who rewrite the history. It is us who “choose” it for our convenience in our ordinary days. It is too late to “change” the trend in Sashiko, but it never is too late to speak up.

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Please follow @upcyclestitches if what you want is only the “beautiful photos of Sashiko”. I share less cultural messages there. Of course, I sincerely hope you would follow both of the accounts, here as well. I will always speak up the honest insight here no matter what happens to me. 

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日本では当たり前の文化を、英語圏で伝えるというのは、かくも難しいものなのかと日々葛藤しています。日本が好きで日本語で学びを求める人にお伝えするとは一味違う、「歴史を（意図的に）作ってきた」文化の中で、有色人種の声にスポットライトを当てさせるという、過去を見ても類がないことをしてるんじゃないかなぁと思うんです。切り口は刺し子ですが、人種や差別にまで話が広がっているのは、きっと英語で通訳抜きで議論しているからなんでしょうね。あくまで僕の中心は刺し子です。活動家になりたいんじゃない。でも、刺し子を後世に伝える為には、それなりの勉強が必要のようで。学生時代これだけ勉強してれば、もっと稼ぎの良い仕事につけてただろうなぁ（というパラドックスｗ）。

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2021-02-22 10:25:00

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