I don’t know how it happens – but the word “Boro” became the word for “Japanese Style Mending” in English. Boro is NOT a word for mending in Japanese, and I have no idea what they mean by “Japanese Style”. If you are a long-time follower here, you may know what Boro “can be”. If you are new here, what is your understanding of “Boro”?
☆
An accumulation of Romanticizing the word “Boro” changed the actual meaning of the word. I know 99.9% of the people who use “Boro” for their mending practice means well. However, someone gotta say something about them ignoring the upstream of its culture. Mending is a great practice. Appreciating what we have & recycle (upcycle) within our capacity is profound. Caring for Sustainability is extremely important. However, “Not Knowing” can hurt someone especially when they use a term cross-culturally. I don’t want those 99.9% who mean well to hurt others unintentionally. Therefore, I share as many Sashiko Stories as possible here. Unfortunately, there are 0.1% of the people who “intentionally” romanticize the word for their marketing, attention, and profit. (Otherwise, the word “Boro” wouldn’t be this famous among so many other Japanese words).
☆
We (the Japanese) believe in “Spirit” – like Animism. The word also carry spirit as we have the word for that “Kotodama (言霊)”. Strictly speaking, the word “Boro” carries a negative image of no choice – and now it has become the word of celebrating the choices. The change happens. I just want the change to be “fair” and “mindful”. It is you who can change this “Romanticized Change”. Thank you for acknowledging our stories here.
☆
–
–
–
☆
最近日本語の衰えを感じて、意識的に日本語の本を読むようにしています。読書は楽しい。刺し子しながら読書できれば良いなぁと思いつつ、それはそれで中途半端になってしまうのかなと自制しつつ。「言霊」- Power of Words として英語圏でも似たものはありますが、同一ではないと思っています。26文字の記号を並べて単語を作り意味を持たせる言語と、音を中心に何万もの漢字を当てた言語。音には響きがあり、響きは感情を増幅させます。「ぼろ」という音には、喜びの感情は当てはまらないはずですが、時代の変化は言霊そのものも変えてしまうのかもしれません。変化は良いんです。ただ、その変化が「無知」や、最悪「無視」によって起こることが嫌なのです。知ってほしい。想像してほしい。その知恵を提供できる人（源流）を守ってほしい。ただ、それだけなのです。
☆
2022-08-31 20:19:49
❤️
Thank you, that is incredibly insightful! I had only known the usage of “boro” from social media, essentially implying something like “simplified sashiko”, as in patching done with a running stitch, but just in straight lines, without artful patterns.
I’m a linguist and I know words can and will run away and take on life of their own (spirited indeed!), no matter what I personally may prefer to be their “correct” usage, but when it comes to borrowing cross-culturally, that is more sensitive still than it would already be.
I see Boro as Japanese patchwork 😊
How hurtful. I am so sorry this has happened.
I didn’t know this. Thanks for sharing- such important work!
I first understood boro to describe mending indigo garments simply and visibly with white thread because I had only seen images. With a bit more reasearch I took it to mean the art of mending cloth to prolong the lifespan of it using the readily available tools cloth and threads. Even still I am forever learning and grateful for your hard work and teachings.
Some people say “Cali” instead of California! It drives me crazy!!!!! I get your frustration…. 😚
❤️
I understand that when better economic times came around and pressure/limitations on rural farmers to wear only muted colors was lifted – that many Japanese experienced a degree of ‘shame’ regarding their boro and as a result buried their boro in the ground and packed it into walls of barns, etc. I am curious whether anyone knows how this transition away from boro took place – for example, did all members of a family shed their boro all at the same time (and bury it all together in one spot) or maybe family members transitioned one at a time, based on available resources (and pieces of boro were randomly buried) – or maybe entire villages tucked away the towns’ boro either by custom or decree to avoid the appearance that the town’s villagers still had limited resources. I am also curious about why although the boro was hidden from public view it was not deliberately destroyed – as by burning or weighting it and sinking it into the sea. Maybe they were concerned that they might need their boro again if times changed? Maybe they wanted to show respect to the boro for having served them, despite any ‘shame’ associated with it – I wonder if there were any rituals, blessings or prayers that accompanied their actions to put aside the boro – or whether they secreted their boro quietly at night. Escaping the ‘shame’ of boro must have been a profound change, not in just clothing but in psyche as well. These are just some of the questions I have regarding boro in its original context, as compared to the more current romanticizing of boro. The basic outlines of the story seem clear – but the details, at least to me, are still intriguing. Thank you for all of your stories!
I have so much to learn 🙄
If I understand what you are saying, Boro meaning no choice, then am I correct in thinking that when you have no choice but to mend something then that is Boro?
Thank you for this. I had no idea but now I can move forward using the correct term.
I respect and appreciate your post and education out loud of what Japanese culture meanings and views true are…🙌❤️
How would you define Boro in a sentence or paragraph? When you say ‘no choice’ what do you mean exactly? Thank you for sharing your culture 😊
Wow! This is a true work of ART!!! Congratulations !