Kintsugi is something I came across and thought this is so uniquely Japanese. It’s a practical and skillful art form but also shrouded in Japanese philosophy.
This unique method celebrates each dish/bowls’ unique history by emphasizing its fractures and breaks instead of hiding or disguising them.
I think you will agree Kintsugi makes the repaired piece beautiful and gives it a second life.
Picture courtesy of David Pike
What is Kintsugi
Kintsugi means Kin = golden, tsugi = joinery, so it literally means golden joinery. It’s a technique of mending broken pottery/ceramics with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. Japanese urushi lacquer is made from the sap of the urushi tree and has been used in Japan since around 2400 BC. The lacquer is a highly durable material that is very adhesive even when newly applied. The addition of powdered metal to the liquid effectively dyes the lacquer and increases the durability and also looks amazing.
Check out these videos for a practical look at Kintsugi – Courtesy of David Pike
The origins of Kintsugi
Kintsugi became closely linked with ceramics used for Chanoyu (Japanese Tea Ceremony). These ceramics become an intricate part of the tea ceremony, and the owners become very attached to them.
The origins of Kintsugi are said to date back to the Muromachi period when the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1408) broke his favorite tea bowl, he was so attached to it and didn’t want to throw it away, so he sent it to China to be repaired, but on its return, the Shogun was horrified to see his favorite tea bowl was repaired with unsightly metal staples.
The craftsmen at the time were charged with finding an alternative to the staple method to make the repair more visually pleasing, and so Kintsugi was born, that didn’t disguise the damaged, but in a way celebrated it.
The Philosophy behind Kintsugi
Kintsugi can be seen to have similarities to the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi (this is such an interesting idea/philosophy I would like to cover it in a future article.) of embracing the flawed or imperfect. This is a perfect fit for Kintsugi as the cracks/fractures are seen as an event in the life of an object.
There is a story about one of the great advocates of wabi-sabi, Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591) while traveling in Japan, he was invited to dinner, the host sat him close to an expensive antique tea jar from China wanting Rikyu to admire it and be full of praise and admiration, but Rikyu didn’t seem to notice it and just talked and admired the nature outside. In frustration after Sen no Rikyu left, the host smashed the jar into many pieces. Members of his household collected the pieces, then took it to be repaired by a Kintsugi craftsman. When Rikyu next came to visit, with a knowing smile, said: “Now it is magnificent”.
Just as a footnote I wanted to find out more about Sen no Rikyu, he was the tea master for Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) Daimyo of Japan. Sen no Rikyu fell out of favor with Hideyoshi and he was ordered to commit ritual suicide (Seppuku).
Rikyu’s last act was to hold an exquisite tea ceremony. He presented each of his guests with a piece from the tea ceremony equipment as a souvenir, except for his cup, which he smashed, and reportedly said, “Never again shall this cup, polluted by the lips of misfortune, be used by man”. His guests left, only one stayed behind to witness Sen no Rikyu”s death.
Kintsugi is also related to the Japanese philosophy of “no-mind (Mushin), which encompasses the concept of non-attachment, acceptance of change, and fate as aspects of human life”
“Not only is there no attempt to hide the damage, but the repair is literally illuminated… a kind of physical expression of the spirit of mushin…Mushin is often literally translated as “no-mind” but carries connotations of fully existing within the moment, of non-attachment, of equanimity amid changing conditions… The vicissitudes of existence over time, to which all humans are susceptible, could not be clearer than the breaks, the knocks, and the shattered to which ceramic ware too subject. This poignancy or aesthetic of existence has been known in Japan as mono no aware, a compassionate sensitivity, or perhaps identification with, (things) outside oneself”
- Christy Bartlett, Flickwerk: The Aesthetics of Mended Japanese Ceramics
The Mottainnai spirit, Mottainai originated as a Buddhist term. The word later became connected to the Shinto concept that all objects have souls.
Mottainai has been taken as a slogan by the environmentalists, Mottainai means “What a waste” it’s a profound regret when something is wasted. They encourage people to “reduce, reuse and recycle”.
So Mottainai spirit fits in perfectly with Kintsugi, it’s taking the concept of objects are unique, they have a soul, so shouldn’t be discarded, but should be repaired/reused.
Types of Kintsugi repairs
There are three major styles of Kintsugi:
- Crack, the use of gold dust and lacquer or resin to attach broken pieces with minimal overlap or fill in from missing pieces.
Piece method, where a replacement ceramic fragment is not available and the entirety of the addition is gold or gold/lacquer compound
Joint call, where a similar shaped but not matching fragment is used to replace a missing piece from the original piece creating a patchwork effect.
Final Thought
We live in a throwaway society, but we know we have to change to reduce waste and pollution. It seems the 400 + year old practice of Kintsugi is ahead of its time and shows us what can be done and should be replicated in other areas of our life.
Kintsugi is a way of repairing items to show off the cracks and damage, it isn’t hiding or disguising them, but celebrating it into a new perfection/beauty and giving the item a second life.
This, of course, could also be talking about people as well, we all have our imperfections, and we can get damaged by what life throws at us, so we can stand up proudly with our imperfections showing and be accepted and be useful/relevant and be stronger for it.
If you found this article interesting, please check out my article on Wabi-Sabi – https://japanesetales.com/wabi-sabi-the-way-to-a-happier-and-less-stressful-life/
