The Ancient Art of Kintsugi with a Giveaway

With Nancy J. Farrier

Bowl repaired with staples

I have become fascinated by the art of kintsugi and thought you might be interested in learning about this way of repairing the broken so the cracks become a work of beauty. The art form traces back to 1500’s Japan.

The consensus seems to be that a Japanese shogun in the 15^th century had a treasured tea bowl that broke. He wanted the bowl repaired, but the first repair was done with staples that detracted from the beauty of the bowl. He then engaged another person to fix the bowl. This time the cracks were filled with lacquer mixed with gold, which enhanced the original beauty of the bowl. Thus the art of kintsugi was born.

Photo by Haragayato

Kintsugi means, “golden joinery,” and the original lacquer used came from the sap of the urushi tree. The sap is an irritant similar to poison ivy or poison oak, so the artisan using this lacquer either often paid a price to use the sap for repairs. Most wear gloves to protect the hands. (Once the sap is processed and dried in the cracks it is no longer an irritant and the person using the pottery item is safe from harm.) Those who worked with the sap often built up an immunity to its harmful properties.

Lacquer Tree, photo by Aomorikuma

While many artisans today, who perform repairs in the kintsugi method, use a polymer fixative, there are some who adhere to the traditional method. The Japanese lacquer is preferred by many for the higher content of urushiol, the derivative of the sap of the urushi tree. Japanese lacquer has a 75% content of urusiol where the Chinese lacquer has only 15%.

Courtesy of Lakeside Pottery Studio

Courtesy of Lakeside Pottery Studio

From my research, I discovered the crack, or break, is repaired with the lacquer to make a stable bond. Then a mixture that contains gold is put over the repaired crack to make what is often viewed as an ugly crack into something beautiful. Instead of discarding a treasured item, we can enjoy the renewed usefulness. Not only that, but we can share the story with people who visit and see the repaired piece

Courtesy of Lakeside Pottery Studio

Courtesy of Lakeside Pottery Studio

Courtesy of Lakeside Pottery Studio

Why am I so fascinated with kintsugi? So many times we are wounded, or injured in some way by life. We are taught to hide those inner injuries, or broken places, but this form of art teaches us that our past hurts are not ugly, but can become a beautiful part of who we are. Instead of hiding in shame, we can be an example to others and share healing with others who are going through a similar difficulty.

Photo by A Kintsugi Life

There are many places to purchase the supplies to do your own kintsugi repairs. You can take classes to learn this ancient art, or even watch videos online. If you have a treasured piece that you don’t want to throw away, consider learning this art, or even having an artisan do the repair for you. Some of the pictures I have contain links to shops that sell kintsugi pieces, or offer to do repairs.

Photo by A Kintsugi Life

What do you think of this art form? Have you had anything broken that you would have liked to repair in this manner? Do you have broken places in your life that could become places of beauty to help others? I would love to hear from you. This month I am giving away a kintsugi necklace to someone who leaves a comment answering one of the questions above. The winner must be in the United States and must respond on the blog by midnight today.



For today's blog, I have been in contact with two businesses who have supplied photos and encouragement. Please take a moment and drop by their websites. Patty and Morty from Lakeside Pottery Studio provided more photos than I could use. They have some lovely kintsugi pottery available here. A Kintsugi Life owner, Kenetha, was thrilled to have me share some of her kintsugi jewelry pictures. She has some wonderful pieces on her website.

Nancy J Farrier is an award winning author who lives in Southern California in the Mojave Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. Nancy and her husband have five children and two grandsons. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats, and spend time with her family. Nancy is represented by Karen Ball of The Steve Laube Literary Agency. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.