Kintsugi — The art of mending with gold
Kintsugi金継ぎ is a traditional Japanese technique for repairing broken pottery, glassware, etc. using gold since “kin” means “gold” and “tsugi” means “joint or splice” . Although gold is used in its repair, the material that is mainly used is a lacquer known as urushi , which is made from the sap of the urushi tree and is a highly durable natural material, so it is also safe to use in food containers. Gold is used only for the final finish.
One theory as to how kintsugi may have originated is when the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa sent a damaged Chinese tea bowl to China for repair in the late 15th century that when the bowl was returned to him, it was repaired only with metal staples. This may have prompted Japanese craftsmen to seek a more aesthetic means of repair, and they did so with urushi and gold. It is said that people were so fascinated when they saw the gold-repaired bowl that they deliberately broke pottery and pottery to repair it with such a beautiful finish.
