Kintsugi: A Sustainable Japanese Philosophy

The story begins in Japan. When his favourite ceramic piece broke, the military ruler Ashikaga Shogun Yoshimasa wanted to have it repaired. He took the broken object to China so that its pieces could be joined together again. But when it returned, the result was disappointing: the fragments had been held together with crude metal fittings. He asked whether it could be restored more beautifully, in a way closer to its original appearance. In the 15th century, Japanese artists responded to this need with Kintsugi.Where does the name come from? Often translated as golden joinery or golden repair, it combines two Japanese words: kin, meaning gold, and tsugi, meaning to join. The use of gold also underlines the object's continuing value. Kintsugi suggests that something broken or damaged can become even more valuable than before, offering a perspective that can reach into every part of our lives.

In a culture of constant consumption, where we pursue new things and objects seem to grow old ever more quickly in our minds, Kintsugi offers a wise, traditional response to a fast-moving age. It invites us to recognise the care and craftsmanship involved in repair: the perfection within imperfection and the depth within something old.Kintsugi's response to the pursuit of perfection is also said to draw on another Japanese philosophy, wabi-sabi. Embracing imperfection, wabi-sabi becomes a way of life through Kintsugi, pointing towards stillness and meaningful coincidence.

“Kintsugi does not repair the beauty in a broken object. That beauty gains meaning through the way you look at it. Kintsugi means seeing strength in what is broken and giving it a new chance at life instead of throwing it away.”Accepting objects as they are, with their cracks and signs of age, Kintsugi embraces a sense of completeness and wholeness. A vase, a sculpture or a plate can remind us that this is never the end of the road. It skilfully combines the courage to begin again with an even greater smile with the earth's enduring energy of movement and creation. There is much to learn from Kintsugi, which can now be explored through enjoyable workshops in ceramic studios.