Kintsugi: Japanese Philosophy Teaches Us The Ultimate Way to Overcome Our Scars in Life

Did you know that broken ceramics can still be given new life provided that they’re fixed properly? Instead of throwing away ceramics that have broken over the years, you can now display them as they will be truly special.

A lot of people throw away their glass and ceramic pieces when they fall and break. But in other places, like Japan, people follow the art of Kintsugi, where objects that were broken are then repaired beautifully and become more valuable.

The Traditional Japanese Art of Kintsugi

In order to reassembled the broken pieces of ceramic, experts use precious metal mixed with a bit of powdered gold. The pieces will be placed back together using the liquid metal and, in turn, will make sure that the ceramic piece is stronger than ever. The ceramics are all unique because no two pieces are the same.

Exhibiting The Art of the Broken Pieces

If you related the broken pieces of the ceramic to the things that happened in your life, the philosophy would be similar. Of course, it would be up to you to form the liquid metal that would bind you together again. Like the broken ceramics that have become more beautiful after breaking, the human being becomes stronger as well.

How The Kintsugi Technique Started and Its Meaning

There used to be a time when the Urushi lacquer was used in order to put pieces back together. This type of lacquer comes from the Rhus verniciflua plant. This was used earlier by the Chinese, but about 5000 years ago, the Japanese also discovered it and utilized it towards weaponry.

According to research, this technique started when Ashikaga Yoshimasa broke his favorite cup. He knew that the Chinese could put it back together using a different technique, but unfortunately, it was deemed irreparable. When the cup came back, it looked even worse, so they sent it to some Japanese craftsmen instead. The Japanese craftsman used a different technique that required lacquered resin in order to fill out the broken areas. 

Since this is a traditional technique, it takes a lot of time and energy to make. In order to repair large pieces, it would require a month or more since the pieces need to be dried thoroughly before they can be given back to the owner.

What Does the Kintsugi Technique Signify?

The first thing that this technique teaches us is that we should not be too quick in throwing away broken things; Even though they can never look the same, they become unique and more valuable than before. This is the same for us. There are situations and people who will break you into a thousand pieces but you always have the strength to put yourself back together and become more resilient. You become more beautiful with mistakes because of the lessons you have learned and you should not forget that. These experiences make you different from other people.

A Beautiful Video on Kintsugi

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