Discovering Cultures Around the World Through Kogin
◆Discovering Cultures Around the World Through Kogin
Have you been enjoying your kogin today? Recently, I looked back on the past year and a half of my life in America. It reminded me of the many people I have met, both in everyday life and through kogin. Some I have met in person, and others through social media. Since I started selling on Etsy, I have also had the chance to get to know people who purchased my PDFs through our messages.
Outside Japan, it is not always easy to find kogin thread or fabric with a simple search. I am so grateful that people find ways to enjoy kogin with the materials available to them. Their questions also help me notice things I might not have thought about on my own.
I am also thankful to my kogin friends in Japan, who share their work and answer questions in our community. Their kindness helps people outside Japan, and those who are new to kogin, feel closer to it and learn more about it.
◆Why I Share Kogin
These days, I share my stitching along with explanations of what kogin is. I think this began when someone outside Japan asked, “What is this?” on the kogin Instagram account I had started just for fun while living in Japan.
More questions followed: What is this fabric? Where can I find the patterns? Can I use this thread? So I began writing about kogin and the materials I use in my Instagram captions.
People have also kindly shared their own cultures and knowledge with me: “We have similar embroidery in my region,” or “This reminds me of weaving from another part of the world.” Each time, I look up the places on a map and read about their climates and cultures. It feels like a little trip around the world in my mind. It also makes me happy to see others enjoying these discoveries in the comments.
Every now and then, I also receive comments saying that a pattern belongs to someone else’s culture rather than mine. I have never meant to dismiss another culture by sharing kogin, and I am sorry if any of my posts have made someone feel that way. I wanted to take a little time today to share my thoughts in my own words.
To me, it does not seem so surprising that similar patterns and techniques can develop in different parts of the world. People found ways to live through very cold winters and tried to make life a little more comfortable with the limited materials they had. The plants, animals, and nature around them also influenced what they made. And people used their creativity to find beauty in everyday life. Even in different places and times, perhaps we share something in the way we think and find ways to make our lives better.
I share kogin because I love the culture of the region I come from, and I want to do so with respect for other cultures, too. I am grateful that, through kogin, people teach me about embroidery and weaving traditions I did not know about before. Just as I care about the culture of my own region, I think it is wonderful that people around the world care about the cultures of their own communities.
◆A Final Note
I hope to keep exploring kogin and sharing what makes it special to me. If your region has embroidery, weaving, or patterns that remind you of kogin, I would love to hear about them. I look forward to learning from you and enjoying these connections.
◆Infomation
▶️Exploring Kogin Materials — Blog
Some posts are automatically translated into English.
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I share videos and more about the simplicity and joy of kogin stitching.
Satonobou