Kintsugi repair of broken pieces

May 29, 2018

2 min read

Updated: Mar 5, 2020

CRASH!!! I looked in horror at the shattered bowl, scattered pieces across the floor. I was gifted this matcha bowl by a friend's mother and it holds a special place in my heart. Now it was broken as I had felt many times before. My heart sank as I gathered the pieces and placed them in a bag. I could not bring myself to throw it away or to tell my friend that I had broken the bowl. Then, I remembered reading about kintsugi and the Japanese art of pottery repair and I began the journey to recovery.

Kintsugi Haiku

Shattered and scattered

pieces lying here and there

mended, healed with love

Kintsugi (金継ぎ) or "golden joinery" is the traditional Japanese method of pottery repair using a special lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum powder. It involves taking something that is broken, piecing it together, and embracing the flaws. The repaired pottery is typically more beautiful than the original, giving it new life. The aesthetics includes the concept of Wabi Sabi where beauty is found in the imperfect.

The principles of kintsugi can also be used when repairing the broken pieces of our bodies or souls, embracing the imperfection and impermanence in our lives. The broken part of our body or soul is pieced together and mended with all of our flaws being acknowledged. We can celebrate the regrowth and beauty that arises from that transition and rebirth.

broken matcha bowl — Gathered pieces of the shattered matcha bowl.

Below is a gallery illustrating and discussing the kintsugi repair of my matcha bowl. Please click the first picture and browse through.

The kintsugi repair kit was shipped from Japan.
The broken pieces are matched.
Equal parts of flour and water are mixed into a paste. Pure Kintsugi Urushi is added and kneaded well. The resulting paste is called Mugi-Urushi
The Mugi-Urushi mixture is applied to both sides of the crack and reattached.
Excess Mugi-Urushi is removed and tape is placed to hold the pieces together. Each piece is reattached in this stepwise manner.
Once all of the pieces are re-attached, the bowl is placed in a Muro and allowed to dry for 7 to 14 days.
The pottery pieces are attached, now to fill in the missing piece.
The powder used for the "basefiller"
The paste used to fill in a missing piece of the pottery.
The Sabi Urushi filled in the missing piece and then allowed to dry in a Muro for over a week. The repaired edges are gently sanded for a smooth surface.
Neri bengara urushi lacquer is applied to the cracked/repaired area with a thin brush. Gold powder is applied delicately with a cotton ball while the lacquer is still moist.
After the lacquer dries the bowl is polished with a soft cloth. The kintsugi repair is complete.