In this story:
Kintsugi, which means "golden joinery", is a Japanese method of ceramic repair that involves mending broken pieces of plates, cups, saucers and other objects with a gold lacquer or dust. While it's often referred to as "Japanese gold repair", this age-old craft can also be done using silver or platinum.
The origins of Kintsugi
As the story goes, a 15th-century military ruler, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, sent one of his tea bowls back to China to be repaired. When it was returned, he was disappointed with the finished result and asked a local craftsman to find a more aesthetically pleasing method of repair. The solution, he found, was to emphasise the cracks in the bowl, rather than trying conceal them. Thus, Kintsugi was born! Over time, the craft became so popular that people started deliberately breaking their ceramics, simply so they could repair them using the eye-catching gold laquer.
Linked to the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which embraces imperfection, Kintsugi is symbolic of the idea that life is full of knocks, breaks and cracks and that these things should be accepted, enjoyed and even celebrated!
While it is an ancient art form, Kintsugi has also been adopted by many as a way of upcycling items to reduce unnecessary waste. Rather than throwing away a broken vase or mug, this hands-on art form encourages us to accept the imperfections in every object and see them as another aspect that contributes to its beauty.
Kintsugi for beginners
If you're looking for fun things to do on the weekend in Sydney, or you want to make beautiful handmade gifts for loved ones for Christmas, Kintsugi is a fantastic choice. We have many incredible incredible Kintsugi teachers in Sydney, Melbourne and beyond who run Japanese pottery classes and workshops for groups of all sizes.
Meet our teachers
Yoko Kawada is a designer and maker of homewares who started to practice Kintsugi a few years ago in Japan in order to incorporate the unique nature of the Japanese traditional craft into her design. She now also runs regular workshops both online and in-person, sharing the beauty of the ancient craft with people all over Australia.
Jun Morooka originally moved from Tokyo to Sydney in the mid-eighties, but it wasn't until 20 years later that he returned to Japan to pursue the art of Kintsugi. In Japan, Jun studied the traditional Japanese art form under five Kinstugi masters and then returned to Sydney to share his knowledge with curious locals in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Jun and his team run beginner's classes, online workshops as well as a regular intensive courses that span over two consecutive days.
