I learned a new Japanese word at stitch group this week - hesokuri, which means secret savings or secret money. You might be wondering what does secret money have to do with crazy quilt bags? This week the stitchers were all working on pockets for their bags, pockets made from handkerchiefs or hexagons or crazy quilt panels, and pockets are a good place to hide your secret savings!
Japanese is so difficult. Heso臍 means belly button, and kuri繰りmeans proceeding, but hesokuri臍繰りmeans secret savings! Who has a belly button big enough to hide their secret money? Maybe if you only have a little money, your heso is good place to hide it, depending on who you are hiding it from? Japanese is such a mystery.
http://blog.japantimes.co.jp/yen-for-living/okozukai-vs-hesokuri-an-alternate-view-of-home-economics/ This does not explain the origin of the expression, but does explain the reasons for 'secret money'.
My private guess it that money could have been kept hidden under the obi belt or inside the kimono near the navel. There is another kimono/money expression, 'sode-no-shita' ( 袖の下) which means bribery. It comes from that money was inserted in the open sleeves of the kimono by the person who was bribing, e.g. a shady shopkeeper asking the local police to look the other way. I am sure you will have very nice hiding places for your secret funds in those cq pockets.
LOL sometimes Japanese language can be funny when they try to translate to English. You read the funniest things on packets. Looks like you had fun though.
well Pamela I spent a lot of time in Japan but never learnt that about hesokuri, thats my new word for today LOL When we lived in Papua New Guinea I use to sew pockets in my House Mary's skirts so she could hide most of her money in them on pay day in case the rascals highjacked the bus going home which happened often before we left up there!!!!!! Cheers Glenda
That's funny to read about the pockets to save secret money in. Japanese must be such an interesting language. A friend of mine learnt it and said the same.
That story made me laugh. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeletelol made me laugh to Pamela,good to see you all having a great time xx
ReplyDeleteYour co-stitchers are always so serious. But I guess u need to be when making secret money pockets! Ha! Great story!
ReplyDeleteWell it might not be logical to us but I guess it is tomthe Japanese...you certainly are learning some interesting things!!
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.japantimes.co.jp/yen-for-living/okozukai-vs-hesokuri-an-alternate-view-of-home-economics/
ReplyDeleteThis does not explain the origin of the expression, but does explain the reasons for 'secret money'.
My private guess it that money could have been kept hidden under the obi belt or inside the kimono near the navel. There is another kimono/money expression, 'sode-no-shita' ( 袖の下) which means bribery. It comes from that money was inserted in the open sleeves of the kimono by the person who was bribing, e.g. a shady shopkeeper asking the local police to look the other way.
I am sure you will have very nice hiding places for your secret funds in those cq pockets.
LOL sometimes Japanese language can be funny when they try to translate to English. You read the funniest things on packets. Looks like you had fun though.
ReplyDeleteJapanese is such an interesting language! I like Queenie's explonation of the belly button proceedings.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your reaction onmy blog.
ReplyDeleteLooks like another fun/serious cq stitch group. Little secret pockets are important because
ReplyDeleteyou never know when some stashed funds will be needed!
Any foreign language is a mystery! And trying to explain English to someone trying to learn it is pretty hard too.
ReplyDeletewell Pamela I spent a lot of time in Japan but never learnt that about hesokuri, thats my new word for today LOL When we lived in Papua New Guinea I use to sew pockets in my House Mary's skirts so she could hide most of her money in them on pay day in case the rascals highjacked the bus going home which happened often before we left up there!!!!!! Cheers Glenda
ReplyDeleteThat's funny to read about the pockets to save secret money in. Japanese must be such an interesting language. A friend of mine learnt it and said the same.
ReplyDeleteSuch a funny project! I llllllove it!!!
ReplyDelete