Kintsugi: the art of precious scars

The current state of Tim’s pelvis and hips….

Kintsugi and the art of repair: life is what makes us

The ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi (golden repair) or Kintsukuroi (golden joinery) is a pottery repair process where instead of hiding the break it is emphasised by using gold to make the join. This pottery art form is born from the need to accept change ‘mushin’ by filling the gaps with something beautiful such as resin, gold, silver or platinum, transforming the object into something new, rare, and more storied than the original.

The origins for this art form are reported to be following the accidental breaking of the favourite tea bowl belonging to a 15th century shogun called Ashikaga Yoshimasa. After an initial repair consisting of metal pins which left the bowl unsightly, local craftsmen come up with the idea of filling the gaps with golden lacquer making it more unique and more valuable.

None of us are perfect, we all have scars, and thus we can’t expect perfection in ourselves or others. In fact we should celebrate these scars, wounds and old mistakes. Using this kintsugi approach we can celebrate the beauty we have, flaws and all, rather than pining over the old versions of ourselves. While we may strive to achieve perfection in various aspects of our life, the fact remains that life has a habit of dealing us with a range of blows. We all get chipped or broken and need repairs, which is fine. Thus we should not try to disguise the damage, but render this fault lines as beautiful and strong.