Why Is This Art Also Important For Us As Humans?

The 400+ year old Japanese art of
kintsugi (golden repair)
or kintsukuroi(golden joinery) is a pottery repair method that honors
the artifact’s unique history by emphasizing, not hiding, the break.
According to art historians, kintsugi came about accidentally (well, it

does fit). When the 15th-century shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa broke
his favorite tea bowl, he sent it to China for repairs and was
disappointed that it came back stapled together. The metal pins were
unsightly, so local craftsmen came up with a solution — they filled the
crack with a golden lacquer, making the bowl more unique and
valuable. This repair elevated the fallen bowl back to its place as
shogun’s favorite and prompted a whole new art form.
An art form born from mottainai — the feeling of regret when

something is wasted — and “mushin,” the need to accept change: the
cracks are seamed with lacquer resin and powdered gold, silver, or
platinum, and often reference natural forms like waterfalls, rivers, or
landscapes. This method transforms the artifact into something new,
making it more rare, beautiful, and storied than the original.
Why is this art also important for us as humans?

You probably don’t expect other people to be perfect. You may in fact
appreciate when people expose their vulnerabilities, show old wounds
or admit mistakes. It’s evidence that we’re all fallible, that we heal
and grow, that we survive blows to the ego or to our reputations
or health and can live to tell the tale. Exposing vulnerabilities, by
admitting errors, creates intimacy and trust in relationships, and fosters
mutual understanding.
Still, though we’re often relieved when others are truthful, we’re afraid
to expose ourselves. We see other people’s honesty about their flaws
as positive, but we consider admitting our own failures much more
problematic.
This happens because we understand other people’s experiences

abstractly, but see our own very concretely. We feel the things that
happen to us intimately and physically. On the other hand, what
happens to others functions more like an instructive tale, because the
pain of failure isn’t our own and the distance gives us perspective. We
all understand in theory that bad things can happen. But we also feel
really bad when they happen to us, and condemn ourselves.
Vulnerability is courage in you but inadequacy in me: that’s

completely wrong. Like the kintsugi crafters who repaired the
shogun’s bowl with gold long ago, imperfections are gifts to be
worked with, not shames to be hidden.
Turn the ordinary into extraordinary

It’s absurd to be embarrassed about missteps and failures in our
lives because they happen to everyone, and no experience is
wasted.
Everything you do — good, beautiful, bad, ugly — can serve as a

(life) lesson, even if it’s one you would never want to repeat
again. Actually, mistakes can be the most important and effective
experiences of all. And can be shared truthfully with those in need
and that would deserve to learn that wisdom.
Things may fall apart. That’s life. But if you’re wise, you can use
every scrap, patch yourself up, and keep going. That’s the essence of
resourcefulness, resilience, persistence. It’s mottainai. Some
philosophers would argue it actually is the meaning of life.
When we expect everything and everyone to be perfect, including

ourselves, we not only discount much of what is beautiful, but we
create a cruel world where resources are wasted, people’s positive
qualities are overlooked in favor of their flaws, and our standards
become impossibly limiting, restrictive, and unhealthy.
The kintsugi approach instead makes the most of what already is,
highlights the beauty of what we do have, flaws and all, rather
than leaving us eternally grasping for more, different, other,
better.
In other words, the experiences you have, and the person you already
are, suffice. You may occasionally chip and break and need repairs.
And that’s fine. But reality is the best and most abundant material on
the planet, available to anyone, comes for free, and we can all use
what we already have — including our flaws — to be even more
beautiful.
After all, our cracks are what give us character. And let us shine!
Wabi sabi
Chi
Kintsukuroi
wabi sabi, which cherishes what is simple, unpretentious and aged –

especially if it has a rustic or weathered quality

Why Is This Art Also Important For Us As Humans?

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The 400+ year old Japanese art of

According to art historians, kintsugi came about accidentally (well, it

An art form born from mottainai — the feeling of regret when

Why is this art also important for us as humans?

This happens because we understand other people’s experiences

Vulnerability is courage in you but inadequacy in me: that’s

Turn the ordinary into extraordinary

Everything you do — good, beautiful, bad, ugly — can serve as a

When we expect everything and everyone to be perfect, including

wabi sabi, which cherishes what is simple, unpretentious and aged –

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