The Art of Keinen Bika: How Japanese Crafts Age Gracefully

What is the difference between mass-produced goods made by machines in factories and traditional crafts created one by one, shaped by the hands of skilled artisans?

There is likely no single correct answer to this question, but I recently came across a particularly striking response, attributed to a former chairman of the Japanese Traditional Craftsperson’s Association:

“Mass-produced goods are in their best condition the moment they’re completed—that is, when they are shipped out. In contrast, traditional crafts become more comfortable in the hand the more you use them, developing depth and character over years, decades, or even centuries, continuing to shine throughout their long life.”

The phenomenon described here is known as keinen bika, literally “becoming more beautiful with age” or “aging gracefully.” It’s the process by which a craft piece changes over time and acquires a uniquely wonderful texture and atmosphere. It is one of the charms inherent in traditional craft items.

Read on to discover specific examples of keinen bika in three types of Japanese traditional crafts: ceramics, lacquerware, and copperware. We’ll also delve into the appeal and significance of this particular quality of Japanese artisanship.

Kannyu is a kind of crackle pattern in Japanese ceramics in which a fine web of cracks appears on a piece’s surface glaze.

These patterns occur naturally during the cooling process after a fired item of ceramic is taken out of the kiln, and arise due to the difference in shrinkage between the clay body of the piece and its surface glaze. In many cases, these crackle lines are deliberately created and used as part of a piece’s design. Kannyu gives a distinctive look to a piece’s surface and brings forth subtle differences in appearance depending on the angle of light. The capacity for kannyu is one of ceramics’ noteworthy qualities.

Some kannyu pieces are complete upon firing, without any further processing added. But in other cases, ink or pigments are intentionally applied to the cracks in the glaze, coloring the fine network of delicate lines and making them stand out even more.

For example, Zoho Kiln of Gifu Prefecture uses a high-quality red pigment called bengara to dye the lines of their kannyu katakuchi sake carafe and guinomi sake cups. This creates a dainty web of pink that adorns the ivory-colored body like cherry blossoms in full bloom, creating a delightfully vibrant effect.

When kannyu ceramics are used for a long time, the existing cracks may deepen, and new cracks may emerge, creating a volume and presence that can only come with age. In some instances, pigments from drinks or food seep into these cracks, drawing out the patterns more vividly adding depth to the color.

Such transformations in kannyu represent a quintessential example of the graceful aging of keinen bika when it comes to ceramics. As time passes, these evolving characteristics bring new enjoyment to the user.

Japanese lacquerware is made by shaping wood, then coating it with urushi, a natural lacquer.

Typically, the urushi lacquer becomes more transparent over time. As a result, lacquerware’s surface colors—traditionally vermilion or black—gradually shift from relatively dark tones to brighter ones. Moreover, the lustrous surface unique to lacquerware is slowly polished by repeated handling or wiping with cloth, thus increasing its shine. Lacquerware is almost like a young person who, with the passage of years and accumulation of experiences, gradually loses their naive fervor and striving to make way for the calm composure of a mature adult.

Among the various types of lacquerware, one that shows a particularly unique process of keinen bika is Negoro-nuri, or Negoro lacquerware. Negoro-nuri is created by stretching cloth and applying lacquer over a wood base to strengthen it, followed by applying multiple coats of black lacquer, and finishing with vermilion lacquer over top. As a result, as the red lacquer’s color and luster change over time, the black layer underneath slowly starts to show through. This leads to a progressively more artistic transformation of the surface of the piece.

Negoro-nuri is known for both its simple, timeless design and its durability. For items like trays, which tend to get relatively heavy use, you can observe the aging process more quickly and enjoy the changes on a daily basis. Meanwhile, for items often used on special occasions—like tiered jubako bento boxes—there is pleasure in witnessing how the piece bit by bit grows more beautiful with each use.

Copper is a unique metal. In contrast to gold and silver, it corrodes—rusts—fairly easily. Because of this, copper starts out as bright gold tinged with red, but gradually matures in shade, turning reddish-brown, then brown, darker brown, blackish brown, and eventually blue-green.

That green corrosion is known as verdigris, or rokushoin Japanese, and is often seen on cathedral roofs and outdoor sculptures. This continuous, corrosion-induced gradual color change is considered one the unique charms of copperware, giving it its reputation as an art that allows one to appreciate rust.

In order to harness the beauty of rust in their copperware, the workshop Seigado in Niigata Prefecture employs a chemical patination process, treating their copper in advance with chemicals to bring out the distinctive colors and textures created by natural corrosion.

Take, for example, the refined and luxurious golden-brown surfaces seen on Seigado’s coasters, guinomisake cups, and tea canisters. This is achieved by immersing the copper in a sulfide solution to make the copper corrode to a stately black, then polishing the black patina off the raised areas of the surface to leave it only in the indentations. The piece is then immersed in a special solution called niiro-ekito bring out the golden-brown color. Initially these pieces have a bright shine, but over long periods of heavy use, natural corrosion progresses at a gentle pace, ultimately creating a profoundly rich and beautiful coloration.

We have looked at examples of keinen bika in traditional ceramics, lacquerware, and copperware, but surprisingly, the term itself is actually a relatively new one in Japan, only entering the lexicon around 2020.

What brought keinen bika into the modern public eye was a TV program introducing outstanding products from around the world. The male celebrity host spoke positively about how the color of his favorite lacquerware from Iwate Prefecture was gradually changing over time. He called this a defining charm of lacquerware and dubbed the phenomenon “keinen bika”—beautification with age—and from there, the phrase caught on.

That said, the concept of items growing more beautiful with time and use isn’t a new one in Japan.

Antique collection—or, put another way, finding value in old artwork and crafts—was already practiced in Japan as early as the 8th century.

Not only that, but keinen bika is closely tied to the Japanese aesthetic of wabi sabi. “Wabi sabi” is composed of two words: wabi, meaning a quiet, simple elegance, and sabi, denoting changes that occur with the passage of time. Although the exact origins of wabi sabi are unclear, it is said to have spread throughout Japan via the practice of the tea ceremony in approximately the 17th century.

So we can infer that the mindset enabling the Japanese to cherish keinen bika was already present in Japan possibly as early as the 8th century, and at least by the 17th century.

The impact of keinen bika isn’t just limited to traditional crafts. A mindset that actually values the changes that come with passing time as a mark of beauty rather than deterioration: this is also in alignment with today’s global climate situation and rising awareness of environmental protection.

Continuing to use items for a long time rather than discarding them as soon as they become old is a much more sustainable way of relating to things—standing in contrast to a mass-production, mass-consumption society, which places a heavy burden on the natural environment.

In this context, you may already be aware of a uniquely Japanese technique for repairing broken ceramics or lacquerware, kintsugi. Kintsugi uses lacquer and gold powder, among other materials, to mend cracks, chips, and breaks.

Regarding the charm of this technique, one Japanese kintsugi artist said:

“The repaired cracks in a vessel look like a dramatic landscape painting. Once gold is applied to the broken area, it’s as if a flash of lightning illuminates the dark, or a golden river nourishes the earth. It can resemble tree branches stretching skyward, creating entirely new scenery.”

Kintsugi, which revives a damaged vessel with new beauty so that it may continue to be appreciated, is said to have sprung from the same concept of wabi sabi. I see a direct parallel between kintsugi and a mindset that cherishes keinen bika.

At a time when our conventional industries and social structures are approaching their limits, keinen bika may offer us positive inspiration.

To close, allow me to share a final point about how to enjoy keinen bika to the fullest.

In order for a natural and high-quality aging process to occur in a craft piece, daily care and maintenance are essential.

If you do not treat your craft pieces with daily care—almost like tending to a cherished child—they will simply grow grimy or pick up random, unattractive damage. Naturally one wouldn’t want to keep using such pieces forever. So a little attention can go a long way.

Finally, it goes without saying that the pleasure of keinen bika can only truly be experienced in craft items created for long-term use, made using high-grade natural materials and sophisticated techniques polished over a long history. That is what makes Japanese crafts the perfect way to experience first-hand the true art of aging gracefully.