EASTERN PHILOSOPHY - Kintsugi
What this covers
‘Kintsugi’ is the remarkable Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with elegance and grace - a tradition with a lot to teach us more generally about how to handle the broken bits of ourselves.
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Kintsugi—the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with gold—teaches a philosophical lesson about embracing damage and imperfection in life, valuing what is broken and scarred rather than seeking to hide or discard it.
- Kintsugi originated as an aesthetic choice that emphasizes breaks rather than concealing them, reflecting Zen ideals of imperfection
- The practice embodies Wabi Sabi philosophy, which finds beauty in what is simple, impermanent, and weathered
- Applied to human life, Kintsugi suggests we should respect our own and others' damage, vulnerability, and imperfection with care and love
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The precious veins of gold in Kintsugi are there to emphasize that breaks have a philosophical merit all of their own.
“The precious veins of gold are there to emphasize that breaks have a philosophical merit all of their own.”
The Zen ceramic repair process symbolizes a reconciliation with the flaws and accidents of time, intended to reinforce underlying themes in Zen philosophy about accepting impermanence and imperfection.
“This process symbolizing a reconciliation with the floors and accidents of time intended to reinforce some underlying themes in zen.”
In Zen aesthetics, broken pieces of an accidentally smashed pot should be carefully picked up, reassembled, and then glued together with lacquer inflected with expensive gold powder, with no attempt to disguise the damage; instead, the fault lines should be rendered beautiful and strong.
“In Zen aesthetics the broken pieces of an accidentally smashed pot should be carefully picked up reassembled and then glued together with lacquer inflected with the most expensive gold powder. There should be no attempt to disguise the damage. The point is to render the fault lines beautiful and strong.”
Over the centuries, Zen masters developed an argument that pots, cups, and bowls that had become damaged shouldn't simply be neglected or thrown away, but should continue to attract respect and attention and be repaired with enormous care.
“Over the centuries zen masters developed an argument that pots, cups, and bowls that had become damaged shouldn't simply be neglected or thrown away. They should continue to attract our respect and attention and be repaired with enormous care.”
Japanese craftsmen developed a method of repair that didn't disguise the damage but made something properly artful out of it, which became the Kintsugi technique.
“What they came up with was a method that didn't disguise the damage, but made something properly artful out of it.”
Kintsugi belongs to the Zen ideals of 'Wabi Sabi,' which cherishes what is simple, unpretentious, and aged, especially if it has a rustic or weathered quality.
“Kintsugi belongs to the zen ideals of 'Wabi Sabi', which cherishes what's simple, unpretentious, and aged. Especially if it has a rustic, or weathered quality.”
On a journey through southern Japan, Sen No Rikyu was invited to a dinner where the host thought he would be impressed by an elaborate and expensive antique tea jar that he had bought from China, but Rikyu instead spent his time chatting and admiring a branch swaying in the breeze outside.
“On a journey through southern Japan, he was once invited to a dinner where the host thought he will be impressed by an elaborate and expensive antique tea jar that he had bought from China. but Rikyu didn't even seem to notice this item and instead spent his time chatting and admiring a branch swaying in the breeze outside.”
Other guests more wisely gathered the fragments of the smashed tea jar and stuck them together through Kintsugi, and when Rikyu next came to visit, he turned to the repaired jar and with a knowing smile exclaimed, 'Now, it's magnificent.'
“But the other guests more wisely gathered the fragments and stuck them together through Kintsugi. When Rikyu next came to visit, the philosopher turned to the repaired jar and with a knowing smile exclaimed, "Now, it's magnificent."”
In an age that worships youth, perfection, and the new, Kintsugi retains a particular wisdom as applicable to our own lives as it is to pots.
“In an age that worships youth, perfection, and the new, the art of Kintsugi retains a particular wisdom as applicable to our own lives as it is to pots:”
Care and love expended on the shattered pieces should encourage us to respect what is damaged and scarred, vulnerable and imperfect, starting with ourselves and those around us.
“That care and love expended on the shattered pieces should also encourage us to respect what is damaged and scarred, vulnerable and imperfect, starting with ourselves and those around us.”
At moments of disillusion, we might turn our minds to a concept drawn from Japanese Philosophy, particularly from the Zen Buddhist approach to ceramics.
“It's at moments of disillusion that we might turn our minds to a concept drawn from Japanese Philosophy and in particular from the Zen Buddhist approach to ceramics.”
Sen No Rikyu was one of the great proponents of Wabi Sabi philosophy.
“A story is told of one of the great proponents of Wabi Sabi, Sen No Rikyu.”
Though we may keep quiet about it, especially when young, we tend deep down to be hopeful that we will eventually manage to find perfection in a number of areas—an ideally harmonious relationship, deeply fulfilling work, a happy family life, and the respect of others.
“Though we may keep a little quiet about this, especially when young, we tend deep down to be rather hopeful that we will eventually manage to find perfection in a number of areas. We dream of one day securing an ideally harmonious relationship; deeply fulfilling work, a happy family life, and the respect of others.”
Life has a habit of dealing us a range of blows and leaving nothing much of this array of fine dreams save some shattered and worthless fragments.
“But life has a habit of dealing us a range of blows and leaving nothing much of this array of fine dreams save some shattered and worthless fragments.”
The word Kintsugi is derived from Japanese: 'Kin' meaning 'Golden' and 'Tsugi' meaning 'joinery,' literally translating to 'join with gold.'
“The word given to this tradition of ceramic repair is Kin Tsugi. Kin: Golden, Tsugi: joinery. It means quite literally to "join with gold".”
The origins of Kintsugi are set to the Muromachi Period, when the shogun of Japan, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, broke his favourite tea bowl and, distraught, sent it to be repaired in China.
“The origins of Kin Tsugi are set a date the Muromachi Period, when the shogun of Japan, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, broke his favourite tea bowl, and distraught, sent it to be repaired in China.”
When Ashikaga Yoshimitsu received the repaired bowl from China, he was horrified by the ugly metal staples that had been used to join the broken pieces, so he charged his craftsmen with devising a more appropriate solution.
“But on its return, he was horrified by the ugly, metal staples that had been used to join the broken pieces and charged his craftsmen with devising a more appropriate solution.”
In despair at Rikyu's lack of interest in his expensive antique tea jar, the host smashed the jar to pieces and retired to his room.
“In despair at his lack of interest, once Rikyu had left, the devastated host smashed the jar to pieces and retired to his room”