Kintsugi DOESN’T Use Gold to Attach Broken Pieces #Shorts

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Learn the Philosophy Behind the Art of Kintsugi from Professionals in Kyoto

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Kintsugi is a traditional technique of repairing cracks and chips on tableware with gold to make it look more beautiful than before. The art reflects the mind of the Japanese 侘び寂び Wabi-sabi which cherishes perfection within the imperfect.

However, did you know that you actually don’t use gold to attach the pieces in Kintsugi?

What’s actually used as glue to repair the broken pieces is lacquer.

Japan has used lacquer in various forms of craftworks such as katana sheaths, furniture, tableware, etc. to make them waterproof and for them to look more beautiful. Japan’s hot temperature and humidity was perfect for using lacquer, because the environment helps it to dry and harden quickly and firmly.

Then when does the gold come in for Kintsugi?

Gold powder is applied in the final procedure after all the pieces are fully stuck together with lacquer. The gold powder sticks to the lacquer on the cracks and the Kintsugi products we imagine are complete. So the gold is actually only on the surface, and not used for the inside.

*The content is based on personal studies and experience
There is no intention of denying other theories and cultural aspects

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[LetsaskShogo]

▼Learn more about this topic▼
Learn the Philosophy Behind the Art of Kintsugi from Professionals in Kyoto

▼The Hidden Gems in Kyoto we introduce▼

Kintsugi is a traditional technique of repairing cracks and chips on tableware with gold to make it look more beautiful than before. The art reflects the mind of the Japanese 侘び寂び Wabi-sabi which cherishes perfection within the imperfect.

However, did you know that you actually don’t use gold to attach the pieces in Kintsugi?

What’s actually used as glue to repair the broken pieces is lacquer.

Japan has used lacquer in various forms of craftworks such as katana sheaths, furniture, tableware, etc. to make them waterproof and for them to look more beautiful. Japan’s hot temperature and humidity was perfect for using lacquer, because the environment helps it to dry and harden quickly and firmly.

Then when does the gold come in for Kintsugi?

Gold powder is applied in the final procedure after all the pieces are fully stuck together with lacquer. The gold powder sticks to the lacquer on the cracks and the Kintsugi products we imagine are complete. So the gold is actually only on the surface, and not used for the inside.

*The content is based on personal studies and experience
There is no intention of denying other theories and cultural aspects

[nunyabisnuth]

"The gold is only on the surface, and not actually on the inside" why does that make it sound extra poetic.

[davidanderson]

This makes perfect sense. There is no imaginable way to actually repair a crack with metal gold. It's sure a nice effect, though.

[Serai]

I have several nice pieces which have broken. Not having either lacquer or gold powder, I've been thinking about using epoxy and gold leaf, which I've used before in art projects. :)

[Undomaranel]

THANK YOU!!! I had many friends tell me I was ruining religious metaphors by saying it wasn't pure gold but instead an adhesive with gold applied. They thought I was making it up. If they see this video maybe they'll rethink how they treated me years ago, likely not, but at least I'm vindicated by more than just a Google search (and other videos).

[JosephKerr]

"The gold is only on the surface." That jumped out at me when you said it! It embodies old sentiment nicely. Gold is a shiny ornament, but true treasure comes from the whole process.

[AkiraAlexisSoyra]

Whilst I think that it looks beautiful that it's covered in gold, I always kind of knew that it wasn't real gold. It would have likely burnt or melted due to the heat and also would've been hella expensive pieces...

[maggiem]

I actually just lost a beautiful Japanese teapot a while ago. She came to me already fractured and must not have been glued well when I got her, and broke apart. I did keep the pieces, though! I intend to perform kintsugi on her, so she may be even more beautiful.

[rw]

Awesome!
Wabi-sabi, the philosophy of the true artist.

[moosejuiceeeee__]

i love learning about japan and their culture and you make it entertaining. thank you

[BeMoreWeird]

I appreciate this. The whole filling cracks with gold thing always seemed impractical to me, and I couldn't actually picture how someone would get molten gold in those cracks

[DaimyoD]

Fun fact: the lacquer tree traditionally used to make lacquer in Japan is a close relative of the poison ivy and poison sumac we have in North America. The tree's sap is known to cause similar skin reactions, and the compound involved, called urushiol, even takes its namesake from the tree, urushi (漆). It makes sense that it would function well as a varnish or lacquer, because urushiol's hypothesized evolutionary purpose is to self-polymerize where the plant is wounded, forming a scab and protecting the tree from infection.

[Sectreeem]

"Which cherishes the perfection within the imperfect."

Now that's dope.

[Cathowl]

Oh man I've been wanting to fix a beautiful broken cup I have in the kintsugi style but my search a while back only turned up a complicated month-long process using rice processed into a form of glue.
I'll have to look into this lacquer method more. Thanks so much for the information!

[xeviktin]

I can't imagine actual gold being used to attach the broken pieces together since ever since I was small, they taught us that gold is weak/fragile - which made me think that if gold was used to glue them together it would be inevitable for the piece to be broken again.

[MxchiefMxker]

Wow! Thank you for clearing up this common misconception! I always wondered how gold would actually manage to hold it together, as even molten it is quite bad at sticking to things

[possums]

I'd buy the pieces even without the gold powder, the look of broken pieces being glued back together is pretty to me

[prototypebunny]

I have always loved Kintsugi, and have even found a pseudo way of recreating the effect with acrylic paint, the gold craft paint you can find in craft stores, or nail polish

I absolutely love the golden finish given to the pieces, but sometimes a different color compliments the cracks just as well

I don't get do do it often, but I do quite enjoy repairing a broken vial or rock every now and again

[Steven-kisk]

Your channel is so entertaining. I love the way you speak, your attention to detail, how you demonstrate the correct pronunciation and above all the interesting things you talk about. Thank you 😊

[zestybutterfly]

That's makes way more sense! I've used a soldering iron to make a stained glass window, but I didn't think it would be so easy to do the same thing using gold on pottery.