Japanese Art Of Mending Broken Ceramics With Gold

This traditional japanese art uses a precious metal liquid gold liquid silver or lacquer dusted with powdered gold to bring together the pieces of a broken pottery item and at the same time enhance the breaks.

Japanese art of mending broken ceramics with gold.

Kintsugi 金継ぎ golden joinery also known as kintsukuroi 金繕い golden repair is the japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold silver or platinum a method similar to the maki e technique. In addition to kintsugi their skills may have included maki e a technique for painting fine gold or silver florals and landscapes onto. The technique consists in joining fragments and giving them a new more refined aspect. Kintsugi is a centuries old japanese art of repairing broken pottery and transforming it into a new work of art with gold the traditional metal used in kintsugi.

Kintsugi uses lacquer resin mixed with powdered gold silver platinum copper or bronze resulting into something more beautiful than the original. Kintsugi is said to have originated in the 15th century when a japanese shogun broke a favorite tea bowl and sent it back to china to be fixed. The name of the technique is derived from the words kin golden and tsugi joinery which translate to mean golden repair. Kintsugi is the japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections you can create an even stronger more.

The artisans who would mend these broken tea bowls as well as other ceramic vessels used in tea ceremonies were japanese lacquer masters who were trained in various techniques of the lacquer arts. According to lakeside pottery.