My father had almost no hope in Sashiko. His anxiety, or his “grumble” escalated when I became an adult to work for the family business. When I asked his permission to study abroad, he told me it would be good for me to have another “skill” with a sad smile. Like it or not, he is another person who “spent” their lives in Sashiko.
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As I mentioned in the previous post about “Self-Accountability”, in my youth, I blamed him for what he hasn’t achieved. When I decided to be in charge, I blamed myself for slow recovery. After so many years of struggle, I now understand it wasn’t “only” us who put us in the difficult, almost “no-hope” situation. There was a lot going on in other languages, yet I didn’t know fully – or I didn’t try to know what was going on.
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My father and I used to talk about how to “end” our Sashiko while avoiding the hard-crash. We wanted to avoid “bankruptcy”, yet for us back then, it was an inevitable foreseen future (especially with the business policy we had back then). Now, I see so many hopes in the future thanks to those who learned Sashiko from/with us. I am very sure that the Sashiko we have been practicing will be there in the future. My work now is to keep “it” sustainable so that our Sashiko friends can continue enjoying Sashiko as they do today – “Cultural Sustainability” includes the process of putting it into the order.
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It is probably time to start releasing our “collections” to shift the focus to “us”. If we were to have no hope in Sashiko, I thought we needed to keep them in the “collection”. However, as many can do what we do now, it is probably better for others to “own” what we make, collect, and cherish. That’s how “culture” can be “traditional”, I assume.
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昔からコレクター癖があって、特に刺し子に関しては手放すことが苦手です。特に、共に刺し子の未来を憂いた父親を亡くしてからは、加速したように思います。当時は「（私達の）刺し子の未来はないんじゃないか」と思っていたのもあって、蒐集することは仕方なかったのかもしれませんが、未来があると断言できる今は、もう少し手放してもいいのかなぁと。手放しても作れますからね。親父にも、自分にも「自己責任論」を振り翳して、自分達の能力に悩んで、未来が見えないでいました。もっと単純なところに本質はあったのに。集めることも大事ですが、なんとか手放す方法も学んでいきたいものです。
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2023-07-14 21:17:41
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It sounds like your father did not have a chance to see what you have accomplished and come to understand. I am sorry for that, but his lineage continues thanks to you.
I appreciate your willingness to teach and share!
Ok, so I can imagine a few ways for the work to communicate with others.
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Individually
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Sold to be worn.
Let them participate in others’ lives with the understanding that they will eventually be destroyed.
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Sold to individual collectors. Allow several people to hold single pieces for themselves.
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Together.
There are a couple places I’ve had some experience with. Many more exist.
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Images and text.
Catalogue and photograph. Allow yourself and others to write about it. Release as a book.
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Exhibition.
There is a fair chance that the curator of The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (@crafthouston) would want to help show the work. She might help design an exhibition suitable to travel to many locations.
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Private collection.
A collector may or may not want the work to travel & be seen. A collector may try to find a museum to care for the work (typically after they die).
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Institutional collection.
Dedicated to engaging with the wider public. Wanting to inform and educate.
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston (@mfahouston). Their decorative arts collection is extensive and well cared for.
The Mingei (@mingeimuseum) in San Diego, CA. It’s a smaller institution, their mission is very much aligned with the practice of Sashiko.
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