Today, February 8, is the day of the Harikuyo Festival in Japan.
The day when kimono makers, seamstresses, quilters and embroiderers go to a shrine with their used up needles to properly lay them to rest. "Hari" means needle and "kuyo" means memorial service and for the last few years, I have been honoring this festival by holding my own personal harikuyo.
To my great delight, many of you have joined me.
This year I have only four broken needles in the felt on the last page of my needlebook...
But even though there are only four, it is the first year that a Japanese embroidery needle has landed in the burial group. In fact, I don't ever think I have broken a Japanese needle since I started Japanese embroidery many, many years ago.
That means that the needle that is second from the left below has been in my Japanese needle felt for over 20 years...
That's a long time. It's also kind of interesting that this is the year when I've put Japanese embroidery back on the front burner.
In fact, in April I will be starting a piece called Queen of Flowers, its subject being the Chinese Tree Peony. It also happens to be my favorite flower.
In Japan, broken needles are placed in a block of tofu...something soft that relieves the needles from the harshness of their labors. This year, I chose a soft and fluffy cotton ball.
I wrote a note of gratitude and folded the needles into an old scrap of pattern paper...
And buried them amongst the tree peonies in my garden...
Wishing that the spirit of my needles will combine with that of the tree peonies and inspire and guide me through my embroidering of this flower later this year.
Even though it's still freezing, I can see that the tree peonies are beginning to bud. Jim told me this morning that he sensed Spring was coming because he was already beginning to sneeze.
I didn't believe him then...
But now I do.
We spend this day not only honoring our needles for their service but also by being grateful for the skills that we've acquired over this past year. The more hours we spend with a needle in our hands, the better stitchers we have become.
Likewise, so much of the time we spend with our needles is meditative. We are thinking of our family and friends, we are suffering from grief or the loss of a loved one, we are joyful because of a wedding or a birth...all of these emotions that travel from us through the needle and into our embroideries are honored as well. Pray that sadness and anxieties are laid to rest along with your needles and that any joy and happiness is retained with you.
So many of you have made Harikuyo needlebooks in the past few years. I'd love to hear how they are working out or how you may have chosen to honor your broken needles this year. Just leave a comment below and let us know.
For those of you who are new here, you might be asking "What is Harikuyo?"
Check out these prior posts on the Japanese tradition:
Spring is coming everyone. Jim says so and I think his nose is even more reliable than Punxsutawney Phil.
12 comments:
Hi Susan,
My needlebook is now TWO years old! I use it all the time, and each time I get it out I think happy thoughts of making it with you. It is the most cherished of my (many) needlepoint tools.
This year, I had 8 worn needles. In anticipation of floating them out into the water to their rest, I thanked each one, secured them to a beautiful silk ribbon, tied a big bow around the packet, got in the car, and sped off to my sister’s boat dock. The cove was as lovely and peaceful as always … and completely frozen over! Brrrr!! Earlier in the morning, I’d read Jane of Chilly Hollow ‘s report on retiring her needles by putting the lovingly-wrapped needles in an outer coat of tin foil and placing them in a waste basket … so I followed suit and feel sure my needles are much happier with their warm resting place!
Here’s to a new year of many needles and much stitching. Looking forward to following the Queen of Flowers.
Best,
Meg van den Berg
Easton, Maryland
Hi Susan,unlike you I didn't break any needles last year, just a few bent ones so I have honoured my needles by cleaning and sorting these precious tools. My needle book works very hard and still receives lots of compliments.It has a mention on my blog today.
All my broken needles go into a little silver antique needle case and it's my plan for them to be laid to rest when I am... I have a list of things I want to be buried with..... my favorite garden shears, Fritz's ashes, the Morris book, my red shoes, my tambourine, and all my broken needles...
My HariKuyo Needlebook is with me while I stitch. I have learned so much and acquired needles I never knew existed. I did have a very few needles break and bend and some pins bend under their labors this year. I am placing them in some very soft Warm and Natural batting and then placing them in a beautiful little Japanese vase I own. A small note with the date accompanies them. Thank you Susan for sharing this tradition with stitchers across the world. Creative Stitching Bliss Dear...
Wonderful to see the buds on your Peony tree, evidence of the onset of Spring indeed! The traditional Asian calendar recognizes 72 stages of seasonal progressions through a year, with Spring beginning the yearly cycle on the second new moon following the winter solstice, or early February. For Asians, the Spring Equinox is actually the middle of the Spring season. So, yes, you and your husband are right that Spring is here. I believe it will start on Feb 14 this year. If we observe more, we will see early shoots poking up and moving the earth. I hope your peonies, both your real ones and your embroidered ones, bloom beautifully this year.
Terry Clarke
Gaithersburg, MD
I would have buried mine today Susan but we have quite a few inches of icy snow and haven't been above freezing for quite a while. I have a couple of machine needles, one or two sewing needles and quite a few bent pins. I guess I will bury them when I can but I thought of the festival today and mentioned it at a stitch in.
Another great post, Susan. Thanks! Wishing you an early spring.....
I had wondered what harikuyo meant. what a lovely, romantic idea. I've always just thrown mine away! now I feel a bit guilty.
Such a wonderful post. I want to thank you sharing this journal of our needles. I will finish my book., as I have just retired from the busy life of an pediatric ER nurse.
So my stitching has now become my daily life. Before it was my therapy quietly done. It was snowing upon deep snow yesterday. So will honor my broken needles later this week.
Thanks again for your blog 😊
I've not broken any needles this year, but I take it that means I didn't do enough embroidery this past year!
Our needles deserve a proper burial. All the pleasure they bring to our life. All the thoughts that have worked through our hands from our heads with the use of those precious needles. Having the proper needle is one of the grandest things while stitching.
RIP needles, you have brought us much joy.
Gerry, cracks me up with her list, hopefully the list will be much longer and a long time from now when needed.
Another one of your annual posts that I lol forward to, and every time I have a broken needle, I now immediately think of you and this tradition that you introduced me to!
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