KINTSUGI – a Japanese art that repairs

Both decorative and spiritual, the ancestral art of Kintsugi (金継ぎ) repairs objects (and spirits) while enhancing them with gold powder. The technique aims to highlight the cracks by making them aesthetic, instead of masking them.

Appearing in the 16th century, Kintsugi is the art of repairing ceramics, porcelain and earthenware by embellishing them. “ Kin ” meaning “ gold ” and “ tsugi ”, “ joint ” in Japanese. Kintsugi is a traditional art that requires a lot of time, rigor and precision in movements. In general, a work requires one month of work on average, however the most beautiful creations take more than a year to be created.

The philosophy of Kintsugi highlights the object by using its flaws, according to the principle of Wabi-Sabi. This art entirely embodies the symbol of rebirth, because if everything has an end, everything is reborn with more beauty. Scars and marks of time are a source of sublimation and an opportunity to give meaning to one's life.