The Power of Stitchery: Nui Project and Sashiko

In this presentation, Yoshiko shows the expressions of stitchers in the two groups who are very different though equally powerful in transforming their lives along with the materials they stitch. The two stitchery practices in Japan, one ancient and one modern; one responding to life’s necessities and the other to the simple act of stitching. In rural Japan cold winters and harsh physical work required sashiko stitchery, which reinforced textiles thus providing for both functional and decorative needs. Yoshiko will cover a variety of regional styles of sashiko from North East (Tohoku) to the Southern Island of Kyushu, including fishermen’s donza of coastal regions, Yusa-sashiko of snow country, and Harakata-sashiko of Yonezawa’s samurai families. In modern Japan, the stitchery of members of the Nui Project in Kagoshima sustains their sense of well-being, which has been observed by the Shobu Gakuen facility staff as the state of “satisfaction or contentment without a specific goal.” G