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Tea Bowl fixed in the Kintsuji method, public domain (Wikimedia)

KINTSUGI AND THE ART OF REPAIR: life is

what makes us
Andrea Mantovani Sep 19, 2019 · 4 min read

The 400+ year old Japanese art of kintsugi (golden repair) or kintsukuroi (golden
joinery) is a pottery repair method that honors the artifact’s unique history by
emphasizing, not hiding, the break.
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According to art historians, kintsugi came about accidentally (well, it does fit). When
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the 15th-century shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa broke his favorite tea bowl, he sent it to
China for repairs and was disappointed that it came back stapled together. The metal
pins were unsightly, so local craftsmen came up with a solution — they filled the crack
with a golden lacquer, making the bowl more unique and valuable. This repair elevated
the fallen bowl back to its place as shogun’s favorite and prompted a whole new art
form.

An art form born from mottainai — the feeling of regret when something is wasted —
and “mushin,” the need to accept change: the cracks are seamed with lacquer resin and
powdered gold, silver, or platinum, and often reference natural forms like waterfalls,
rivers, or landscapes. This method transforms the artifact into something new, making
it more rare, beautiful, and storied than the original.

Why is this art also important for us as humans?

You probably don’t expect other people to be perfect. You may in fact appreciate when
people expose their vulnerabilities, show old wounds or admit mistakes. It’s evidence
that we’re all fallible, that we heal and grow, that we survive blows to the ego or
to our reputations or health and can live to tell the tale. Exposing vulnerabilities, by
admitting errors, creates intimacy and trust in relationships, and fosters mutual
understanding.

Still, though we’re often relieved when others are truthful, we’re afraid to expose
ourselves. We see other people’s honesty about their flaws as positive, but we consider
admitting our own failures much more problematic.

This happens because we understand other people’s experiences abstractly, but see our
own very concretely. We feel the things that happen to us intimately and physically. On
the other hand, what happens to others functions more like an instructive tale, because
the pain of failure isn’t our own and the distance gives us perspective. We all
understand in theory that bad things can happen. But we also feel really bad when they
happen to us, and condemn ourselves.

Vulnerability is courage in you but inadequacy in me: that’s completely wrong. Like the
kintsugi crafters who repaired the shogun’s bowl with gold long ago, imperfections
are gifts to be worked with, not shames to be hidden.

Turn the ordinary into extraordinary

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It’s absurd to be embarrassed about missteps and failures in our lives because
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they happen to everyone, and no experience is wasted.

Everything you do — good, beautiful, bad, ugly — can serve as a (life) lesson, even if
it’s one you would never want to repeat again. Actually, mistakes can be the most
important and effective experiences of all. And can be shared truthfully with those
in need and that would deserve to learn that wisdom.

Things may fall apart. That’s life. But if you’re wise, you can use every scrap, patch
yourself up, and keep going. That’s the essence of resourcefulness, resilience,
persistence. It’s mottainai. Some philosophers would argue it actually is the meaning
of life.

When we expect everything and everyone to be perfect, including ourselves, we not

only discount much of what is beautiful, but we create a cruel world where resources
are wasted, people’s positive qualities are overlooked in favor of their flaws, and our
standards become impossibly limiting, restrictive, and unhealthy.

The kintsugi approach instead makes the most of what already is, highlights the
beauty of what we do have, flaws and all, rather than leaving us eternally
grasping for more, different, other, better.

In other words, the experiences you have, and the person you already are, suffice. You
may occasionally chip and break and need repairs. And that’s fine. But reality is the
best and most abundant material on the planet, available to anyone, comes for free,
and we can all use what we already have — including our flaws — to be even more
beautiful.

After all, our cracks are what give us character. And let us shine!

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Further Reading & Videos

Kintsugi, In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. from
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kintsugi&oldid=683186968

Kaufman, S. B., (2014) Scientific American; Beautiful Minds. Are you mentally tough.
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/are-you-mentally-tough/

Kushner, H. (1981). When bad things happen to good people. New York: Schocken
Books.

Von Culin, K., Tsukayama, E. & Duckworth, A. L. (2014). Unpacking grit: Motivational
correlates of perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Positive
Psychology, 9(4), 1–7.

Wabi-sabi: The magnificence of imperfection: Cheryl Hunter at TEDxSantaMonica:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1gxziZwmkc

When Mending Becomes an Art: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3mZgs0vkDY

Kintsugi Kintsukuroi Life Lessons Mushin Leadership

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