Kintsugi is the art of repairing damaged tableware using an age-old technique. We will introduce the history, charm, and methods of kintsugi, a traditional culture born out of the Japanese people's "heart of valuing things."
What is Kintsugi?
Meaning of Kintsugi
Kintsugi is a traditional Japanese technique for repairing chipped or broken tableware using natural lacquer and pure gold powder. After the damaged parts are glued with lacquer, they are decorated with gold.History of Kintsugi
Kintsugi began as a technique for repairing broken vessels with lacquer.
Traces of restoration have been found on pottery that is more than 4,000 years old.
The custom of repairing broken vessels with lacquer and decorating them with gold is said to have originated in the tea culture of the Muromachi period.
This is what we now call Kintsugi. During the Muromachi period, people were not allowed to hold tea parties freely, and only those who had permission from the shogun (shogun) could hold tea parties.
The tea ceremony was considered a symbol of the power of the shogun, and the tea utensils given as a reward by the shogun were so expensive that they could buy castles. For this reason, damage to tea utensils was seen as a problem at the time, and as a solution to this problem, the repair technique of kintsugi was developed.
In China, broken vessels were tied together with pins, but in Japan, with the development of lacquer technology, a unique method of repairing broken vessels with lacquer and gold was developed.
The charm of Kintsugi
If you use pottery for a long time, it may break or chip. Tableware that has been repaired using Kintsugi will have a different taste from its original design. It is unique to Kintsugi that the damaged part is repaired using gold powder to make it stand out without concealing it, and it is finished to match the design. There is a Japanese custom of emphasizing cuts to create beautiful works of art. Even if your favorite tableware is damaged, it will last forever, and the irregular patterns formed are enhanced by the use of metal, making each restored piece unique.Things needed to perform Kintsugi
・Raw lacquer
・Abrasive powder
・Black/Begara powder
・Brush
・Spatula
・Palette
・Dropper
・Waterproof/Sandpaper
・Gold powder
・Floss cotton
・Masking tape
Tips
・Wear vinyl gloves to protect yourself from getting a rash from the raw lacquer.
-Lacquer will not dry without humidity. Conditions suitable for lacquer are a temperature of 20-30℃ and a humidity of 70-85%. We recommend making a lacquer bath. Place a plastic sheet inside the cardboard box, place a wet rag on top of it, and place it in a warm place.
- Step 1 Pre-processing
Sand the cracked surface of the vessel with sandpaper, leaving the surface with a rough texture. Align the pieces.
- Step 2 Make barley lacquer
Masking may stain unglazed vessels, so apply masking tape to prevent stains.
Put the flour on a pallet, add water and mix with a spatula. Make it as hard as your earlobe. Add raw lacquer and finish it until it stretches to the consistency of gum to complete the barley lacquer.
Apply barley lacquer to the cracked section. Place the pieces together and secure them with masking tape to ensure they do not move. Use a spatula to check that there are no steps on the adhesive surface. Put it in a lacquer bath and leave it for a week or more. Remove the masking tape and scrape off the protruding barley lacquer with a cutter.
Tips
If it's squishy, it hasn't dried yet, so try drying it again.
- Step3 Fill in small holes
Mix the abrasive powder and water on the pallet. Add raw lacquer to complete rust lacquer.Apply the rust marks using a brush.
- Step4 Paint
Soak the rust lacquered surface with water-resistant paper and polish the surface. Be careful not to damage the container.
Make black lacquer. Take out the raw lacquer on the pallet and mix it well. Then add black powder and mix well. The completed black lacquer is applied over the rust lacquer. Place the painted vessel in a lacquer bath and let it dry.
Tips
When reusing a brush, please remove dirt with oil.
- Step 5 Finishing
Sharpen the black lacquer while soaking the waterproof paper in water. Make Bengara lacquer. Pour the raw lacquer onto the palette and mix well. Add Bengara powder and mix well. Apply a very thin layer on top of the black lacquer. After applying everything, let it sit for about 30 minutes and then wrap it in gold powder. The gold powder is applied to the cotton and the Bengara lacquer is placed on top. At that time, if the cotton is in too much contact, it may stick, so make sure to make a thin contact and only put on the gold powder. Leave it in a lacquer bath for a day and let it dry.
Traditional Kintsugi is said to be based on the use of lacquer, which is a sustainable material that is chemically safe and kind to nature. Please make your precious tableware unique and tasteful.
