Facts about Kintsugi Art
- 05
Beyond ceramics, kintsugi principles have been applied to other materials including wood and glass, extending the philosophy to diverse objects.
- 04
A popular origin legend attributes kintsugi to 15th-century Japan, when a shogun sent a damaged tea bowl to China for repair and was dissatisfied with the metal staples used.
- 03
Practitioners of kintsugi typically use urushi lacquer, derived from the sap of the Toxicodendron vernicifluum tree, as the adhesive base before applying metallic powder.
- 02
Kintsugi is rooted in the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection and impermanence.
- 01
The Japanese art of kintsugi repairs broken pottery using lacquer mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum, treating breakage as part of an object's history.