ABSTRACT The term ‘sashiko’ refers to a quilting stitch used to sew together layers of material. The stitch itself is a simple running stitch, with the beauty created by complex interlocking stitching patterns. In Japan there is a long-standing tradition of layering and re-stitching material to create a thicker, warmer more durable garment. This was particularly true in the poorer regions of Tohoku during the Edo and early Meiji period where the lower classes used this stitching to create and decorate garments made out of homespun hemp and other plant fibres. After first contextualising the sashiko tradition, both in terms of its Edo origins and decreasing popularity in late Meiji, this paper focuses on the contemporary rebirth of sashiko as a form of decorative embroidery, and increasingly as a pure art form. In discussing the rekindled interest in this form of stitching, in both the contemporary quilting world and in the context of the global revival of traditional handicrafts, the paper concludes with reference to the work of contemporary sashiko artists and also to the use of sashiko garments in the final film made by the great director, Akira Kurosawa, Yume.

中文翻译：

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Sashiko 针线活重生：从功能技术到装饰艺术

摘要 术语“sashiko”是指用于将材料层缝合在一起的绗缝针迹。针迹本身是一个简单的连续针迹，具有复杂的互锁针迹图案所创造的美感。在日本，通过分层和重新缝合材料来制作更厚、更保暖、更耐用的服装有着悠久的传统。在江户时代和明治初期，在东北较贫穷的地区尤其如此，当时下层阶级使用这种针迹来制作和装饰由土麻和其他植物纤维制成的服装。在首先从江户起源和明治后期逐渐减少的流行方面对 sashiko 传统进行语境化之后，本文重点关注 sashiko 作为装饰刺绣形式的当代重生，并逐渐成为一种纯粹的艺术形式。