kintsugi 金継ぎ
金 gold · 継ぎ joining
Kintsugi is the Japanese craft of repairing broken ceramics with natural urushi lacquer dusted or mixed with gold (and sometimes silver or platinum) powder. The repair is not disguised; the mended lines remain visible and become part of the object's history. The practice has over 500 years of history and is closely tied to the tea ceremony. The name means “golden joinery” (kin = gold, tsugi = joining).
The repair begins with a broken piece—a bowl that slipped, a cup that cracked. Lacquer is used to join the fragments, then gold powder is applied in the finishing stage.
