Kintsugi: The Beautiful Art of Embracing Life’s Imperfections

Table of Contents

• What Is the Origin of Kintsugi in Japan?
• How Does Kintsugi Work?
• Is Kintsugi an Art Form or Therapy?
• How Can You Experience Kintsugi in Japan?
• Embracing the Beauty and Meaning of Kintsugi

Key Takeaways

Here are the key things to know about kintsugi, from its origins to its lasting cultural significance:

• According to legend, the kintsugi technique was developed after Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa was dissatisfied with the metal staples used in repairing a favorite tea bowl. 

• The kintsugi process involves cleaning and filing broken edges before piecing them together with urushi-based adhesive. 

• The key materials used in kintsugi include natural urushi lacquer, and various mixtures with other substances, as well as precious gold or silver powder. 

• In the 16th century, kintsugi became closely associated with the philosophy of wabi sabi, and appeared consistently in ceramic vessels used for the Japanese tea ceremony. 

• Kintsugi workshops around Japan are widely available for non-Japanese participants, covering materials, processes and guidance of the technique. 

Photo: Todd Fong

What is the Origin of Kintsugi in Japan? 

According to the original legend, the history of kintsugi in Japan began in the 15th century, when Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa broke one of his favorite tea bowls from China. He had it sent back to the potters to be replaced, but because no tea bowl of this quality was available, it was instead repaired in the manner fitting the day - with metal staples.

Legend has it that the shogun was dissatisfied with the appearance of the repaired bowl and ordered his artisans to find a way to repair broken pottery in a more aesthetically pleasing manner. Using urushi tree lacquer mixed with powdered gold, the artisans created a new way to seal cracks in ceramic ware that became known as kintsugi, or literally translated, "golden joinery." 

So kintsugi was born not as a Japanese art form so much as a repair technique, although one beautified using precious gold dust and lacquer as a key element. A century later, the Japanese tea master Sen no Rikyu proclaimed the natural beauty of wabi sabi to be the pinnacle of Japanese tea ceremony, and broken objects became celebrated rather than scorned, cementing kintsugi's place in Japanese culture. 

How Does Kintsugi Work? 

Obviously, kintsugi starts with a broken object, and usually broken ceramics. Some people go so far as to deliberately break an object to ensure the broken pieces fit well together, but this really goes against what the spirit of kintsugi is about. 

The other materials used in traditional kintsugi are wood powder to create a putty to fill cracks in the ceramics, natural lacquer from the sap of the urushi tree, and powder made from a precious metal, typically gold powder, but sometimes silver (gintsugi), platinum, or brass, each with their own unique qualities. The materials are prepared or applied with various tools such as fine-grained sandpaper, small

The artisan starts by bonding the broken pieces together with a layer of urushi lacquer. If there are any places with broken edges, or where the two pieces do not match perfectly, cracks can be filled with putty made from wood pulp or other food-safe materials. Smaller cracks can usually be filled at a later time with putty made from the dust of a sharpening stone. These steps represent the functional process in kintsugi repair technique; the next steps are the aesthetic.

Here, gold powder is mixed with urushi lacquer to create a material that can be used to create the illusion of a gold seam between the broken pieces. At this point, however, the item is functionally repaired, so this "golden repair" technique is only to create beauty in the object. For this reason, the artisan can decide the form the gold lacquer will take. Some will choose a thick line of gold to accentuate the breakage. Some will extend the gold lacquer to places that aren't even broken to create unique patterns or shapes. The choices are based on what the artist wants to express about the piece. 

Photo: Todd Fong

One of the most important things to know about the Japanese kintsugi process is that the urushi lacquer contains skin irritants that can range from slightly irritating to causing a rash similar to poison ivy. For this reason, it is important to minimize skin exposure to the lacquer and some artisans use latex or rubber gloves to protect their hands, although this also can reduce their ability to create fine details using the brush. 

Photo: Todd Fong 

Is Kintsugi an Art Form or Therapy? 

We've already established that kintsugi techniques were developed primarily for repair, but with the advent of wabi sabi as a Japanese tea ceremony philosophy and aesthetic, quickly elevated to an art form. There is no formal structure for recognizing a person as a master of kintsugi, unlike other Japanese crafts such as textiles, woodworking, and ceramics which have a designation known as ningen kokuho (人間国宝), a Living National Treasure. 

For this reason, perhaps kintsugi feels a bit more accessible to people and is often enjoyed in Japan as a hobby rather than a career. As many hobbies go, kintsugi can provide a bit of stress relief from daily life and recently, kintsugi workshops, particularly in larger cities, have become more common. Typically, these workshops forgo traditional elements like urushi lacquer and gold powder for more convenient and economical alternatives such as food-safe synthetic adhesives and brass powder, but the result is often similar to the traditional for those who practice it. 

Photo: Todd Fong 

In recent years, kintsugi has gained popularity as a kind of therapy or Japanese philosophy for life. If broken objects are seen as human flaws or trauma inflicted on us in the past, then kintsugi can be seen as a way to heal these flaws without hiding them, or, in fact, highlighting them. The art of kintsugi can be seen as a physical expression of being okay with our imperfections and embracing them as part of who we are in human life. 

Another way people use kintsugi as a philosophy involves wabi sabi, a difficult-to-translate Japanese term that deals with the natural state of objects from newness to deterioration, and appreciating them throughout the entire process. In life, things fall, get broken, and are in need of repair. But an item broken and repaired is no less useful to us than when it was new, and we should appreciate it in both states. This is why trends such as shabby chic or intentionally aging or damaging objects have become popular recently - although these trends strongly misrepresent what wabi sabi is really about. 

 

How Can You Experience Kintsugi in Japan? 

Perhaps because of its growing popularity as a kind of therapy or symbolism for our lives, kintsugi has become well-known as a Japanese art form. As its popularity has risen, the number of opportunities for visitors to Japan to experience kintsugi has also increased.

For those who just want to get a taste of kintsugi highlights without a major commitment, simple experiences from about 90 minutes to 3 hours are available in major cities in Japan that let you try part of the kintsugi experience, typically the application of the gold lacquer. Many of these experiences are geared for the average tourist's budget and use lower cost, non-traditional materials such as synthetic adhesives and brass powder rather than real gold. One workshop at Maker's Base in Tokyo is a good example of this level of experience. 

The next step up is a simplified experience that still uses the traditional materials of kintsugi: urushi lacquer and gold powder. Although these types of experiences are more expensive, the luxurious feel and quality of the finished product is often worth the extra cost. Artisans who teach kintsugi using traditional materials are also usually kintsugi masters with years of experience who are very serious about their craft and can be more knowledgeable than those teaching experiences targeting large-scale tourism. One such kintsugi experience is offered by Fernwayer in Kyoto, taught by a master kintsugi artisan with years of kintsugi experience. 

Finally, some kintsugi artisans offer multi-day experiences that take you through the entire traditional process of kintsugi repair. Since each layer of lacquer can take a day or more to dry and cure, the full process can take weeks or months to complete and a minimum of 8 sessions. If you're living in Tokyo or staying for an extended period, Tsugu Tsugu offers multi-session kintsugi courses for the ultimate hands-on kintsugi experience. 

Photo: Todd Fong 

Embracing the Beauty and Meaning of Kintsugi 

Whether you view kintsugi as a beautiful art form, a traditional repair technique, or a way to connect with your inner-self, an opportunity to experience kintsugi is a fun and easy way to pass a few hours during your visit to Japan. We hope that everyone takes the opportunity to take a kintsugi lesson and unravel for themselves the true meaning of this craft that became both an art and philosophy over the past few centuries.