The reason the Japanese don’t throw away broken pottery

Instead of throwing away broken ceramics, the Japanese turn their repair into the art of Kintsugi, with a deep philosophy inside.

For most of us, the best way to repair broken items is when they look new, cracks and chips are covered. But the Japanese art of Kintsugi follows a different philosophy. Photo: Powell River Peak. Instead of hiding the cracks, Kintsugi makes them part of the restored object, showing their history. This method uses gel lacquer and metal powder (gold, silver, platinum or copper), creating items that are judged to be even more beautiful than the original. Photo: Think Theology. Kintsugi is said to have originated in the 15th century, when a shogun broke his favorite tea bowl and asked for it to be repaired. But after fixing with an iron pin – a popular fix at the time (pictured), the beauty of the bowl was gone. Photo: Knjitea. Frustrated, the shogun asked a craftsman to come up with a more aesthetically pleasing solution, and Kintsugi was born. Although this approach gives the impression that the item is soldered with gold, it was originally a form of lacquer art. Photo: ArtVision360. The fragments are held together with urushi sap. The final layer of lacquer is coated with gold powder and then polished. Retrieving and handling urushi is difficult because the resin is toxic. However, once it dries and hardens, the toxins in the plastic are neutralized, making it safe to use the repaired item. Photo: Deeper Japan. Kintsugi is an extension of wabi-sabi, the philosophy that beauty lies in imperfection and value lies in simplicity. Restoring the debris usually takes up to three months, then let it dry for a few weeks and then coat the grooves with gold. Photo: Leo de Melo. Adding metal powders makes the weld stand out, showing a piece of the history of the piece, as well as showing how important they are to the owner. For example, a tea master would use a bowl repaired with Kintsugi to pay respects to a guest. Photo: Deeper Japan. Today, thanks to new technologies, Kintsugi uses new materials, which have better cohesion and are more durable than the old method. However, the value and meaning behind this art remains intact and has become an inspiration for many contemporary artists. Photo: Deeper Japan.