The ancient art of repairing damaged ceramic to create something beautiful without hiding
Kintsugi or kintsukuroi is a 400-year-old craft of honouring antique pottery by repairing the cracks with gold. The method is used to emphasize on the damages proudly instead of hiding them.
As reported by historians specializing in art crafts, the art was discovered somewhat accidentally. In the 15th century, shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa accidentally cracked his pet tea bowl. He posted it to China for repair but to his disappointment it was just stapled together. The loosely wired pins were merely dangling that inspired the local craftsmen to fill the crack with gold lacquer making the crockery even more valuable. The idea was loved by Shogun, and it spread as a new technique of repair all over the world.
The main art form was to change mottainai, the regret of having something wasted to mushin, the acceptance of the change. Filling the cracks with resin, powdered gold, platinum and silver gives it a look of natural rivers, creeks and waterfalls making it more unique than the original.
What must humans learn from the art you ask? Embracing mistakes and making something good come out of it is what humans need to accept more in their life. By exposing the vulnerabilities of relationships and getting errors, it gives way to the intimacy of soul and fosters understanding.
Instead of making faults as something you can never undo, it teaches us that even though the original form can’t be brought back, that does not make it non-fixable. It can be mended in a way better than what it was initially.
It also teaches us to be more confident about the faults we are made of. Being equitable to one’s responsibilities rather than accepting them as a nuisance, we can be more of a positive person with them. Vulnerability is the nerve in you to challenge your limits and gives you the limitations to work on.
Keeping a broad mind to peoples experiences lets us see the unseen and learn them without being a harsh critic of self. What we do not see is, the harder we are on ourselves, the more we restrict ourselves on broadening our sphere.
Turning the Ordinary to Extraordinary-
Once you accept that life falls apart in many spheres, you learn to patch yourself up and beautify yourself from scratch. The resourcefulness, persistence and resilience should not be compromised while experimenting with life.
