Kintsugi is a uniquely Japanese technique that repairs broken vessels with urushi lacquer and adorns the seams with gold, giving them new beauty. This method is believed to have been established in the 15th and 16th centuries.
But the story of kintsugi didn't begin suddenly. For thousands of years, Japanese people have used urushi lacquer to repair their vessels. It was through this long accumulation of history that the philosophy of "accepting what is broken and transforming it into beauty" gradually took shape.
In this article, we'll trace kintsugi's journey from its origins to the present day, exploring how such a distinctive philosophy came to be.
Chapter 1: The Origins of Kintsugi
While the technique of kintsugi is thought to have been established between the 15th and 16th centuries, its foundational practices were built over millennia.
The Jomon Period: Urushi Lacquer as Adhesive
Japanese people have been using urushi lacquer since the early Jomon period (approximately 7000–5500 BCE). Urushi lacquer is the sap of the urushi tree, and when it dries, it becomes remarkably hard with excellent adhesive and waterproofing properties.
People of that era understood urushi lacquer's characteristics through experience, and archaeological sites from the Jomon period have yielded items coated or bonded with urushi lacquer.
Even in an age of hunting and gathering, the Japanese were already using urushi lacquer to repair their tools.
▲ An urushi-lacquered comb excavated from the Mibiki site in Ishikawa Prefecture. Dating back approximately 7,200 years, it is one of the oldest surviving lacquerware pieces in both Japan and the world. (Image source: Government of Japan Public Relations Online)
The Heian Period: The Origins of Gold Decoration
Time moved forward to the Heian period (794–1185), an era that saw the rise of the samurai class. During this time, people greatly developed maki-e—a technique of sprinkling gold or silver powder onto urushi lacquer to create decorative patterns.
Eventually, the idea of decorating with gold that emerged from maki-e would lead to the concept of joining broken objects with gold—the essence of kintsugi.
▲ A tachi (Japanese sword) with a scabbard decorated in maki-e. The blade was forged during the Heian period, and the decorative maki-e work was added during the Edo period. Collection of Tokyo National Museum (Image source: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage)
Chapter 2: The Birth of Kintsugi
Between the 14th and 16th centuries, the story of a cracked tea bowl and an aesthetic that cherished imperfection gave birth to the art of kintsugi.
The Muromachi Period: The Emergence of Valuing Repair Marks
The story of kintsugi began to unfold in earnest during the Muromachi period (1336–1573). At this time, Japan could not yet produce high-quality ceramics domestically and relied on imports from China.
One tale passed down from this era tells of a particular tea bowl.
A celadon tea bowl made in China long ago eventually came into the possession of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. When it reached him, it already had a crack in the bottom. Yoshimasa treasured this masterpiece and sent it back to China, hoping to obtain a replacement.
▲ Ashikaga Yoshimasa / 1436–1490 (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
However, finding an equivalent celadon bowl proved difficult. The Chinese side repaired the crack with metal staples called kasugai and returned the bowl to Japan. Because the large metal clasps resembled locusts (inago in Japanese), the tea bowl was named "Bakōhan"—literally "locust staples."
▲ Important Cultural Property: Celadon Tea Bowl with Flower-Shaped Rim, Named "Bakōhan" (Locust Staples) / Collection of Tokyo National Museum (Image source: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage)
What's fascinating is that rather than diminishing the tea bowl's value, the repair marks actually enhanced it. Despite the staples being a functional fix, the repair wasn't seen as a flaw but rather as "beauty clothed in history." This sensibility would evolve into the philosophy of kintsugi.
Tea Ceremony and Kintsugi: The Beauty of Accepting Imperfection
The relationship between kintsugi and the Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu) is inseparable.
In Yoshimasa's time, tea ceremony was a display of aristocratic authority and refinement. It served primarily as a venue to showcase expensive art objects, with tea utensils functioning as status symbols for the nobility. From the early to mid-15th century, tea culture symbolized lavish splendor.
However, as the 15th century progressed, a new philosophy emerged that diverged from this extravagance. Murata Jukō (1422–1502), both a monk and a tea master, pursued wabi-cha—a quiet, imperfect approach to tea, rather than one focused on brilliance and perfection.
▲ Murata Jukō / 1422–1502 (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
Jukō believed that tea ceremony should reflect the spirit, and he is said to have told his disciples:
"Rather than the full moon in its perfection, the moon glimpsed between clouds holds true elegance."
Jukō taught that true beauty lies in incompleteness. This connects directly to the spirit of wabi-sabi—embracing flaws and imperfection.
Through wabi-cha, a sensibility developed that could find beauty even in broken vessels, creating the philosophical foundation necessary for kintsugi to emerge.
The Azuchi-Momoyama Period: The Establishment of Kintsugi Culture
The technique of kintsugi is believed to have been established between the Muromura and Azuchi-Momoyama periods (14th–16th centuries), but the precise origin—who started it and when—remains unknown.
What is certain is that kintsugi emerged from the convergence of "urushi lacquer repair techniques" dating back millennia, "decorative methods" from maki-e, and the spirit of "accepting imperfection" cultivated through wabi-cha.
▲ Kintsugi repair believed to be from the 16th century (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
Chapter 3: The Spread of Kintsugi
During the peaceful Edo period (17th–19th centuries), kintsugi permeated society alongside the spread of tea culture.
Kintsugi in Daily Life: Repair Culture Across Social Classes
The Edo period (17th–19th centuries) brought an end to prolonged warfare and ushered in an era of peace. In this stable society, tea culture spread beyond the elite to include common townspeople. Accordingly, ceramics—previously the domain of the wealthy—became accessible to ordinary people.
During this era, a spirit of "cherishing objects" prevailed across all social classes, creating widespread demand for ceramic repair services. However, repair methods differed by class.
Wealthy merchants and tea practitioners could afford traditional kintsugi, but for commoners, it was expensive. Most people used yaki-tsugi—a bonding method using lead glass powder. Kintsugi remained reserved for the wealthy, applied only to valuable art pieces and tea utensils.
From Repair to Art: Kintsugi as Artistic Expression
Hon'ami Kōetsu (1558–1637), an early Edo period artist, elevated kintsugi from mere repair technique to the realm of art. His iconic work, the red raku tea bowl named "Seppō" (Snow Peak), is designated an Important Cultural Property.
▲ Red Raku Tea Bowl, Named "Seppō" (Snow Peak) (Image source: Hatakeyama Museum of Fine Art)
This tea bowl accidentally cracked in the kiln—a failed piece. But Kōetsu didn't discard it. Instead, he embraced the accident, boldly joining the dramatic crack with gold and giving the flaw new meaning.
He envisioned the white glaze as snow-covered peaks and the gleaming golden crack as a spring stream where melting snow flows down the mountain, naming it "Seppō."
By transforming a damaged vessel into a poetic work of art containing nature's grandeur, Kōetsu established a culture of appreciating repair marks as scenery and bestowed artistic value upon kintsugi.
Chapter 4: Kintsugi in the Modern Era
From the Meiji period(1868-1912) onward, kintsugi withdrew from daily life and was preserved as a traditional craft. In the 21st century, it faces global expansion and new challenges.
The Modern Era: Japan's Westernization and Kintsugi's Transformation
With the Meiji Restoration (1868), Japanese life began to change dramatically.
Beautiful and affordable Western porcelain and glassware arrived through the ports. The once-natural habit of "repair what breaks" was gradually replaced by a consumer mindset of "just buy new."
▲ "Famous Places of Tokyo: The Art Gallery at the Second National Industrial Exhibition in Ueno Park" / Collection of Tokyo National Museum (Image source: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage)
As industrialization advanced and chemical adhesives became widespread, the time-consuming practice of kintsugi quietly disappeared from daily life.
But it didn't vanish entirely.
In the stillness of tea rooms and in the hands of antique lovers, kintsugi lived on. Tea practitioners and maki-e artisans didn't see this technique as mere repair—for them, kintsugi was an act of carrying forward the time and spirit dwelling within vessels to the next generation.
Simultaneously, in cultural property conservation, traditional urushi lacquer and gold powder repair continued to be quietly safeguarded. Thus kintsugi transformed from a household skill into a traditional craft and preservation technique, inherited across generations as a specialized method supporting Japan's art conservation.
The Present: International Boom and Diversifying Kintsugi
In the 21st century, kintsugi quietly spread around the world as a Japanese aesthetic philosophy.
Behind this lay shifting values: questions about mass consumption society, growing environmental awareness, and interest in concepts like wabi-sabi and mindfulness.
Within this context, the act of repairing broken objects gained attention not merely as a repair technique, but as a way of living that accepts imperfection and affirms renewal.
Kintsugi transcended the boundaries of traditional craft to become a cultural metaphor symbolizing healing, rebirth, and sustainability, influencing global thought and design.
The Debate Over DIY Kintsugi
In recent years, "DIY kintsugi" using epoxy resin or synthetic adhesives has spread. Because it doesn't use urushi lacquer, it can be completed quickly and easily, gaining popularity through workshops and social media as an accessible craft.
However, some believe this convenience creates a disconnect from kintsugi's philosophy. Traditional kintsugi uses natural urushi lacquer, requires time for drying, and involves repeated polishing to completion. This process held a spirituality—a quiet practice of engaging with time.
Many DIY kintsugi methods only replicate kintsugi's appearance, and some techniques don't meet food safety standards. Repair for use is being replaced by decoration for display.
Thus, beneath the modern kintsugi boom lie two opposing currents. Neither can be declared definitively right or wrong, but perhaps the fundamental ideal of kintsugi—"bringing beauty to broken things"—truly resides in ethical practice that engages with nature and time.
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