When I share the pain from Cultural Appropriation in Sashiko, some always try to shut me up by saying, “You (Japanese) also use(appropriate) foreign words. (therefore, you need to shut up.)” My reply to these hatreds is simple, “I don’t know. I am sorry if Japanese hurt their feelings.” I need to learn more & need to listen to the voice from the people, not from the privileged person with arrogant suppression. I will stand up for C/A regardless of Japanese or not when I hear the voice with pain.
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I am not representing all Japanese – but I am representing the Sashiko I practice. Misuse of words is painful because it may “overpaint” my identity. I am NOT asking you to stop using the word Sashiko/Boro. I am asking you to “learn” first. I am not here to divide you and us. I am sharing stories so we can appreciate(enjoy) Sashiko together.
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Here, I share examples (I wish I didn’t have to). Some say, “Let’s celebrate Imperfection with Sashiko”. No Sashiko artisans I know celebrate(d) their imperfect stitches. The one with 60+ years of experience always told me that she cannot “teach” me Sashiko because she thought she wasn’t good at Sashiko (yet). When Sashiko is introduced as “celebration of imperfection in Japan”, what about those artisans who tried to be better throughout their life?
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Some people teach Sashiko without a thimble. Yes, it is true “some” Sashiko doesn’t require a thimble. However, when they teach Sashiko as if they know a “whole picture”, what happens to the Sashiko which requires the thimble? What happens to our Sashiko & artisans who cannot stitch without the thimble?
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Cultural Appropriation is painful (to me) because it can “repaint/erase” the important essence of the culture, often by privileged groups, often for their convenience (money). And, it is on-going now. The bigger Sashiko becomes in the trend, the more I feel fear if Sashiko may become. something completely different (I am happy that many people enjoy Sashiko – but not the “transformation” more than necessary).
Please do not ignore.
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また長くなったので、配信でお話します！長文英語は吉報ではないのですが、別件でとても良いことがあったのでそれも一緒に。
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2021-03-20 08:04:43
One of my biggest peeves is when Westerners say “but you’re using an English name/you’re speaking English. I should be able to get a tattoo with Oriental stuff and change my name to Katsu bc I’m a Weebo.” 😤🤦 As if Western political and economic imperialism didn’t/doesn’t happen at all, and now a significant portion of the globe is FORCED to speak Western languages and use Western names. Sorry friend haha oy
So – you don’t want westerners to learn sashiko? OK
I wonder what would be your preferred way of me referring to my sewing inspired by Sashiko. I know I will never be a master of it however I very much enjoy the process and the patterns and have great respect for the artisans, and I would like to be respectful in my words should I choose to post any of my stitches 🙏
Please know many of us respect and revere your knowledge and those who came before you.
Thank you for your words.
❤️ Thank you for sharing your perspective.
Thank you for continuing to educate and inspire. I have been struggling with my personal passion foe this craft and my desire to not be appropriating someone else’s culture. I will continue to listen and learn with a humble heart
Atsushi, I want to express my admiration for how you keep on explaining and defending yr understanding of CA. I am learning a lot from you – more about CA than traditions of Sashiko! You are brave to keep accepting a lot of negative response and uncomfortable questions. You know I sometimes agree and sometimes disagree. My view is that CA will always be contested territory, most likely never resolved at any point in time. The important thing is to keep up a respectful exchange of views with open minds. I salute you for being brave and vulnerable and open to recieving diverse opinions👏👏👏
I love your work. Let the haters go.
The way I have approached practice (whether music, stitching, drawing, dancing, etc..) is to acknowledge that there is always room for improvement and deeper understanding, but that even at a beginner level I may still enjoy it and even take some pride in it. But I remain humble, knowing that others are true masters, but like you say, even someone who has 60 years of practice is still learning and improving each day. It’s a process, a journey, and every step is beautiful, and every stitch a step toward a more full and rich understanding. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!
Hi, I wanted to thank you for being brave enough to share your thoughts. You posts give me both aesthetic joy, and something deep to ponder , and you never fail to provide new insight. Thank you for speaking up ; I hope it’s not too hard on your well-being to navigate such difficult stuff and wish you the best. I know – from a different context – how tiring (sometimes) it can be to hold opinions in front of large groups of people, and wanted to acknowledge the incredibly hard work you put in. So, yeah : thanks 🙂
Buen trabajo❤️
I’ve learned and continue to learn so much from your YT videos and these posts, thank you so much.
@mrinaldesai5
Your perspective is really interesting; sounds like you are worried about Sashiko going the route of traditional yoga when it got Westernized. But I wonder: is there room for both in the modern world?