THE FUTURE OF SASHIKO: AN INTERVIEW WITH ATSUSHI FUTATSUYA

Image courtesy of Atsushi & Keiko Futatsuya

It seems like everyone is darning - environmental concerns and the increased leisure time resulting from the pandemic have contributed to the boom in methods of mending clothes and Sashiko has benefited from this.
At Selvedge, we are interested in how you see the future of the technique once this moment has passed. Do you see the rejection of synthetic fibres taking off and darning and mending once again becoming a necessity as we switch back to natural fibres with their shorter inherent lifecycle?

First of all, Sashiko is not a word for a specific technique of mending. This is my main message - Sashiko translated in English is not wrong, but greatly insufficient. Secondly, none of our artisans, including myself, consider ourselves as “traditional” Sashiko artisans. That being said, we do not reject any synthetic fibres. We just have our preference in a process of doing Sashiko. We choose natural fabrics over synthetics because of their longevity. Stitching with synthetic fabrics is also not the same experience as stitching on natural fibres. Ultimately, why would we spend so much time stitching if we know the fabric will have a shorter life cycle? I teach how to communicate to the fabric via needle, thimble, and thread. 

I feel it is a western mindset that we think we can control what we do. Instead, in Sashiko, we listen to the fabric instead of creating or following the trend.

Image courtesy of Atsushi & Keiko Futatsuya

If you browse Instagram you can see many accounts which make use of the beauty of sashiko - I am thinking of @kaori_sashiko, @kwus812 and @s.asako16. Will Sashiko be taken up by contemporary artists as an expressive medium?

We do not consider ourselves as “traditional” artisans. Although I personally do not consider myself as an artist, I think my mother Keiko will be categorised as an artist. There are so many people enjoying Sashiko in their own various ways. Of course, it can be a medium for contemporary artists to express their artistry. One thing I hope is that artists respect (acknowledge) the stories behind the words of Sashiko. Sashiko done by many Japanese people, which looks different from mine, are not contemporary - they are just different styles of Sashiko developed in different regions.

We do not define what Sashiko is. It is us (future Japanese and those who appreciate Japanese culture) who define what Sashiko is. Sashiko can and should change its form over time. I just need to speak up so that the change will be done with care and respect, not ignorance and power-imbalance by non-Japanese who benefit from the trend.

Sashiko is a very accessible technique needing few materials and relatively minimal instruction. It is an ideal occupation for people recovering from illness or trauma. What experience do you have, if any, of the health and community-building benefits of sewing together and of mending the clothes we already have rather than buying new?

Sashiko is not a word for a specific technique. However, the wisdom from its practice can be, indeed, help people who live in today’s difficulties. We are part of the project, Otsuchi Sashiko Project.

Image courtesy of Atsushi & Keiko Futatsuya

A similar running stitch technique is also found in India in the form of Kantha where, as well as being used to secure layers of frayed fabric as in Japanese boro, the technique has been employed in the creation of pictorial images. We would love to see a collaboration between a sashiko artist from Japan and one from Bangladesh. What do you see as the similarities and differences between Japanese Sashiko and Indian Khantha?

Sashiko isn’t unique when we look at it from a “technique” perspective. There are similar needlework practices everywhere in the world where people made a living in comparatively harsh conditions with limited resources. They needed to stitch to survive. I believe there are millions of “nameless'' stitchery around the world. They aren’t known because they don’t have names, and no one is preserving them. Therefore, I say, there is nothing special about Sashiko. Sashiko is based on Japanese culture, and Kantha is based on the culture and history in India and Bangladesh. Therefore, the stories of stitching techniques is what sets them apart.

I believe it is another western mindset to mix such concepts without properly considering the stories in-between. I would love to have the discussion with Kantha artisans. Then, we may be able to create something together.

 

Image courtesy of Atsushi & Keiko Futatsuya

I don’t believe that mixing Sashiko and Kantha without proper stories and understanding of one another would be a positive collaboration. It is like mixing Japanese and Indian food saying it is creative. Of course, it is possible to have the fusion of Japanese and Indian food - and it may be tasty. However, there are inherent reasons why Japanese people love sushi with raw fish, and Indian food with a variety of spices. Without understanding the story, it could be a violent mix without respecting the chefs who the dishes.