2023-02-01
Kintsugi is the Japanese technique and art of repairing broken ceramic vessels using lacquer with the addition of powdered precious metal, such as gold, platinum, or silver. Kintsugi literally means golden bonding.
What is kintsugi?
Kintsugi consists of fusing broken pieces to a vessel using a mixture of laka and precious metal powder. Sometimes powdered copper or bronze was added instead of precious metal. The repaired object gains decoration in the form of precious veins, and it is traditionally considered that ceramics fused in this way have greater artistic and aesthetic value. Because of its labour-intensive nature, kintsugi is used to repair particularly important objects. Ceramics repaired using the kintsugi technique have a special prominence in the tea ceremony.
History of the technique
The technique has been used since the 16th century thanks to the shogun Yoshimasa Ashikaga. When he broke his favourite tea bowl, he sent it to China for repair. It came back from there in metal clamps, which meant that it no longer looked the way it did before it was broken, so the shogun, wanting to save his favourite vessel, commissioned Japanese craftsmen to develop techniques for repairing broken ceramics.