Learn the Art of Making Broken Things Beautiful With Kintsugi
What do you do if your favourite piece of pottery gets chipped or broken? Turn to the Japanese art of kintsugi
Have you ever broken your favourite plate or cup and sadly had to throw it away? More and more people are turning to kintsugi workshops to learn how to preserve their favourite items – and the associated memories.
Kintsugi (or ‘patching with gold’) is a traditional Japanese technique that involves mending broken cups and plates using lacquer, and decorating the mended objects with gold and silver. In Japan, lacquer repairs have been used since the Jōmon period (before the fourth century BC). The technique then flourished into the art form of kintsugi in the Muromachi period (14-15th centuries), at the same time as the Japanese tea ceremony was developing. The marks of repair left by kintsugi are called keshiki (’scenery’); by highlighting the beauty of the new form that appears only after repair, kintsugi lends added value to the pottery.
So kintsugi is not only a way of repairing a broken item, but also creating new keshiki and new beauty. This article is an introduction to the art of kintsugi as it was presented in kintsugi artist Miho Fujita’s workshop.
Kintsugi (or ‘patching with gold’) is a traditional Japanese technique that involves mending broken cups and plates using lacquer, and decorating the mended objects with gold and silver. In Japan, lacquer repairs have been used since the Jōmon period (before the fourth century BC). The technique then flourished into the art form of kintsugi in the Muromachi period (14-15th centuries), at the same time as the Japanese tea ceremony was developing. The marks of repair left by kintsugi are called keshiki (’scenery’); by highlighting the beauty of the new form that appears only after repair, kintsugi lends added value to the pottery.
So kintsugi is not only a way of repairing a broken item, but also creating new keshiki and new beauty. This article is an introduction to the art of kintsugi as it was presented in kintsugi artist Miho Fujita’s workshop.
This photo shows a coffee cup with a broken handle that Fujita fixed using the kintsugi technique.
Materials
- Ceramic glue
- Epoxy putty for metal repairs (fast-drying type). The putty usually hardens in about five minutes (the exact time varies between manufacturers). Use alcohol spray to delay hardening.
- Waterproof sandpaper (400-1000 grit for initial sanding and 1500 grit or higher for finishing)
- Shin-urushi lacquer
- Colour powder (we will use brass here)
- Cleaning agent for shin urushi
- Thinner for shin urushi
- Dropper
- Fine paintbrush (the round brushes used for plastic model-making work well)
- Water
- Aluminium foil
Step 1. Check the condition of the item
Clean the pieces thoroughly and check the condition of the broken parts. Check for nyu, cracks that have formed on only one side of the ceramic, under a bright light.
Clean the pieces thoroughly and check the condition of the broken parts. Check for nyu, cracks that have formed on only one side of the ceramic, under a bright light.
Step 2. Glue the parts
Plan out the order in which you will apply the glue, and stick the parts together using pottery glue. Make sure the glued parts stick together evenly, and without gaps.
Plan out the order in which you will apply the glue, and stick the parts together using pottery glue. Make sure the glued parts stick together evenly, and without gaps.
“The pieces are in their correct positions when they settle together just right,” Fujita says. Check that the surface is even and smooth. Set it aside to dry.
Step 3. Fill in the dents
Mix agents A and B of the metal-repair epoxy putty until it has a uniform colour. “If you don’t mix it sufficiently, the parts may fall off, so you need to mix well,” Fujita says.
Mix agents A and B of the metal-repair epoxy putty until it has a uniform colour. “If you don’t mix it sufficiently, the parts may fall off, so you need to mix well,” Fujita says.
“The putty starts to harden in less than five minutes, but don’t rush. Use new putty when it gets hard to work with,” Fujita says.
Fill in the dents and gaps between the glued parts. Push the putty well into them until they are flat and even with the original surface. Fill in the gap starting from the deepest part and working up to the edges. “How well you apply the putty to the broken parts is important. Not only does it shorten the sanding procedure, but it is essential for a beautiful finish.”
Step 4. Mend the nyu (if any)
Nyu is damage from inside the piece that results in a crack. In some pottery it can be hard to tell where the cracks are, so hold the piece up to light to check. Pick up some shin urushi with a brush and apply it on the crack so that the lacquer soaks in. Let it dry for 15 minutes.
Once dry, soak some tissue paper in shin urushi cleaning agent, and wipe off any excess.
Nyu is damage from inside the piece that results in a crack. In some pottery it can be hard to tell where the cracks are, so hold the piece up to light to check. Pick up some shin urushi with a brush and apply it on the crack so that the lacquer soaks in. Let it dry for 15 minutes.
Once dry, soak some tissue paper in shin urushi cleaning agent, and wipe off any excess.
Step 5. Sand the mended parts
First, check that the putty is no longer sticky. Press the putty with your nail: if it leaves no mark, it has hardened sufficiently. Another method is tapping the putty: if the sound is the same as the sound made when tapping other (unbroken) parts of the item, the putty has hardened completely.
Wet the waterproof sandpaper and smooth the surface of the repaired parts. Select the sandpaper depending on the material of the item. Softer material requires finer sandpaper – sandpapers with larger grit numbers are finer – and earthenware or unglazed porcelain is generally softer than glazed porcelain. For the cup shown in the photo, 400 grit sandpaper has been used.
First, check that the putty is no longer sticky. Press the putty with your nail: if it leaves no mark, it has hardened sufficiently. Another method is tapping the putty: if the sound is the same as the sound made when tapping other (unbroken) parts of the item, the putty has hardened completely.
Wet the waterproof sandpaper and smooth the surface of the repaired parts. Select the sandpaper depending on the material of the item. Softer material requires finer sandpaper – sandpapers with larger grit numbers are finer – and earthenware or unglazed porcelain is generally softer than glazed porcelain. For the cup shown in the photo, 400 grit sandpaper has been used.
Sand the mended part while checking with your fingers that the putty is smooth.
When the putty is sufficiently smooth, sand again for finishing, once again with water. Use 1500 grit sandpaper or higher – the sandpaper shown in this photo is 2000 grit. Sand the whole item carefully to remove any fingerprints.
When the putty is sufficiently smooth, sand again for finishing, once again with water. Use 1500 grit sandpaper or higher – the sandpaper shown in this photo is 2000 grit. Sand the whole item carefully to remove any fingerprints.
Step 6. Create the ‘scenery’ (keshiki)
On a piece of aluminium foil, mix shin urushi, the colour powder (brass was used in photo) and thinner in a 1:1:1 ratio. First mix shin urushi with the colour powder, and when the mixture brightens in colour, add the thinner one drop at a time using a dropper. Draw a line on the mixture with a brush, and if the line disappears immediately, the mixture is in the right consistency.
On a piece of aluminium foil, mix shin urushi, the colour powder (brass was used in photo) and thinner in a 1:1:1 ratio. First mix shin urushi with the colour powder, and when the mixture brightens in colour, add the thinner one drop at a time using a dropper. Draw a line on the mixture with a brush, and if the line disappears immediately, the mixture is in the right consistency.
Once the colour is ready, start painting it onto the repaired parts. Fujita recommends painting in thick coats and deliberately creating lumps of paint over the repaired parts to vary the texture.
Make a lump of paint by holding the brush still in one place. Or, stamp polka dots using a wine cork.
Soak a tissue paper with shin urushi cleaning agent to wipe off any excess lacquer.
Soak a tissue paper with shin urushi cleaning agent to wipe off any excess lacquer.
After applying the colour, set aside for about two days to dry completely. Wash before using.
Kintsugi is not simply a method of repairing broken items, but can also create beauty and an aesthetic that did not exist in the original work. Fujita (pictured here) talks about the attractiveness of kintsugi: “Adding your original touch to a work gives you a feeling of attachment, and that makes that piece more special to you. Do not throw away the plates and cups you used daily, but try adding on your own story.” Fujita notes that you should pay attention to the safety of the lacquers, “but other than that, just enjoy.”
This workshop took place at the Suginami ‘Uminoie’, a gallery and shared atelier that Shunsuke Umiyama (on the right in the photo), the owner and product designer, set up in a 60-year-old Japanese-style house he renovated himself. He sells his own products on the second floor and also provides spaces for workshops by artists like Fujita.
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Hon-urushi and shin-urushi lacquers
Traditional kintsugi uses hon urushi (literally, ‘genuine lacquer’), but this workshop used shin urushi (literally, ‘new lacquer’). What’s the difference between the two?
Hon urushi or Japanese lacquer is a natural paint made from the sap of the Chinese lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum). It has a unique, elegant colour, and items finished in this lacquer are acid- and alkali-resistant. On the other hand, the lacquer itself may cause an allergic reaction when it is still wet, so it is necessary to be very careful when using it.
Therefore, the synthetic shin urushi is used as a casual substitute. The finish is very similar to the real lacquer, but it is much easier to handle. However,
it should be used for decorative items only, and is not safe for dishes and vessels used for eating. Pottery using hon urushi or shin urushi cannot be used in the oven, microwave, or dishwasher, or cleaned with any abrasive detergents.
Note: Please make sure to research the ingredients and safety of the particular product you are using. Remember to take all necessary precautions, and always follow all product usage instructions.