What is
Kintsugi?

 

 

 

Kin: Golden, Tsugi: Joinery 

Kintsugi is an old Japanese craft of restoring ceramics, in which chips, cracks or breaks are repaired using layers of Urushi lacquer, applied repeatedly over a period of days, and finished with powdered gold leaving a unique pattern on the surface that highlights the repair. Kintsugi adheres to the concept that something broken doesn’t have to be discarded but can be transformed into something beautiful, unique and often stronger than before.  

 

A craft that dates to the late 15th century when a Japanese shogun sent a damaged tea bowl to be repaired. When it returned, he was unhappy with the ugly metal staples used to join the break and this is said to have prompted craftsmen to find a more aesthetically pleasing form of repair. Kintsugi was thereon strongly associated with tea-ware and Chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony). 

 

It is closely connected to the philosophies of Zen Buddhism:  

The spirit of mushin, a lack of attachment to anything, being present, existing in the moment and accepting change. The moment something shatters it will never be the same again but by clearing your mind and concentrating at that moment in time on the intricate repair, a transformation can appear.  

Wabi-Sabi, recognising beauty in simplicity, embracing flaws and imperfections, and accepting the passage of time.  

 

Whatever it means for you….Kintsugi can be for everyone.  

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