Just as a car breaks down due to inner malfunctions, even people break down from inside. Sometimes we experience rejection, betrayal, abandonment, failure and myriad other disappointments. We try to avoid being vulnerable to these feelings lest the people around us see the evidence of our flaws. The Japanese art of 'kintsugi' teaches that not only can one relish the blemishes but the scars themselves can be turned into art.
Kin (gold), tsugi (joinery) is an ancient art in Japan which glamourises broken pottery items by fixing them using lacquer resin laced with gold or silver. The veins of gold or silver running through the item enhance the broken lines and make the piece very unique. It no longer stays hidden in the cupboard, but becomes a centre-piece.
This process, known as kintsukuroi (gold mending) has a deeper significance. The mended flaws become part of the object’s design, and the pottery becomes even more beautiful having gone through the process of being broken and repaired. Instead of replacing the broken pottery, the mending not only preserves its history but also flaunts the flaws. In the global context, this transformative repair is a cultural response to waste.
Once, the famous tea master Rikyu was invited to dinner by a host who thought he would be impressed by an elaborate and expensive tea jar that he had brought from China. But Rikyu didn’t seem to notice this item. Once Rikyu left, in despair at this lack of interest, the devastated host smashed the jar to pieces and retired to his room. But his servant gathered the fragments and stuck them together through kintsugi. During Rikyu’s next visit, the tea master turned to the repaired jar and exclaimed, “This is magnificent”. The story implies that the vitality and resilience of the broken tea pot raised appreciation to newer heights.
The highlighting of cracks in Kintsugi is a physical manifestation of resilience. Imperfection and failure are part of our being and one may occasionally chip and break and will need repairs. That’s fine, and those cracks are part of the person’s character. None of us is infallible; we survive blows to the ego or health, but we heal and grow. Exposing vulnerabilities by admitting mistakes creates intimacy and trust in relationships and fosters forgiveness.