Sashiko (刺し子)
"Sashiko" (an old needlework technology) is one area of handcrafts, embroidering patterns such as geometrical designs on fabrics with threads.
It started with cotton fabrics reinforced with cotton threads for warmth and strength.
Indigo cotton fabrics stitched with white threads are classic, but more colors for both fabrics and threads are available these days.
Famous sashiko techniques include "koginzashi" (an old needlework technology) in the Tsugaru region, "hishizashi" (diamond sashiko) in the Nanbu region (Aomori prefecture), and "Shonai sashiko" in the Shonai region. They are called three major sashiko in Japan.
Among sashiko examined and collected by Chuzaburo TANAKA, 786 pieces of sashiko clothes in the Tsugaru and Nanbu regions are specified as significant tangible folk cultural assets. They are acknowledged as a collection with not only scholarly value, but also high artistic value that meets Chuzaburo TANAKA's peculiar aestheticism.