December 8th. If you follow this account for more than a year, you may know this

December 8th. If you follow this account for more than a year, you may know this day is a bit special to Japanese, especially for those who stitch. Yes, it is the day for “Hari-Kuyou”.
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Sashiko is getting popular with its “imperfection”, “simplicity”,“beauty of patterns” and such. I am happy that the Sashiko can inspire the other needle-thread-fabric enthusiasts to add something new to them. I occasionally talk about Cultural Appropriation here, but I try to make it extremely simple (because I am learning about it, too). If you worry that you are appropriating the culture, don’t worry too much. Enjoy Sashiko. In contrast, if one thinks they are “appreciating” the culture, then they need to stop & think & learn). The more the word gets popular, the more people start discussing “what Sashiko is”. Some may think (or call themselves) that they are knowledgeable enough to “teach” the whole of Sashiko. Well, they may be. However, Sashiko isn’t just about stitching specific patterns. It is more than that: Hari-Kuyou, a day to appreciate the needles and spirits within for their hard work throughout the year explains how Japanese followed Animism, and uniquely “appreciate” the matter. “Appreciation” isn’t so much of a voice, it is the action – and therefore, we can find them in rituals.
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Last year, on 12/8, I wrote an article for the Patreon Supporters explaining “How to proceed Hari-Kuyou”. For this year, I am making this article available to the public for several days. Please find the details from the link below, and if you have a bit of surplus in your life, please consider supporting my days of sharing the whole picture of Sashiko.
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https://www.patreon.com/posts/44834150
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先日、大戦中の真珠湾攻撃の話になり、流れで米国軍の第442連隊戦闘団（日系人が主となった陸軍部隊）の話にもなりました。米国軍ですが、この隊では千人針による祈りの儀式があったようで（本当かどうかは不明です）。本当であるなら、文化とは、国や地域ではなく、人に宿るものなんだろうと思います。だからこそ、「もったいない」という言葉に潜む「引く美学」も刺し子にも残したいんです。やっぱりまだまだ先は長い。「もったいない」は間違いなく環境配慮の言葉になりますが、それだけでは全体像ではないのでね。
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2021-12-08 21:00:23

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