With the Kintsugi experience, you can easily experience Japan’s “mottainai spirit”, traditional culture, and history. If you bring your favorite pottery back home beautifully, you will be able to remember your enjoyable stay in Japan even after you return home.

Many people feel that the Kintsugi experience seems difficult and time-consuming, but recently there are many classes where you can complete the lesson in about two hours and take it home immediately. Please read this article to deepen your understanding of the Kintsugi experience and use it as an opportunity to experience Japanese culture.

■Kintsugi is a technique that allows you to feel Japanese culture

Kintsugi, also known as “kintsugi,” is a traditional technique that is a symbol of Japanese culture. In Japan, there is a culture of thinking that “even scratches are part of the history of things” and continuing to use them for a long time while repairing them.

Kintsugi is a technique in which cracks and chips in pottery are glued together using lacquer, a natural adhesive, and the remaining traces are decorated with metal powder such as gold powder.

Originally, it was simply a technique for repairing cracks and chips in broken vessels, but over time it has come to play two roles:
1.Restoration techniques that reflect the Japanese culture of “cherishing things”
2.The art of making scratches stand out through kintsugi, creating a new expression.

There is evidence that lacquer restoration has been practiced since the Jomon period, about 10,000 years ago, and for Japanese people, it is a spirit that has been passed down from ancient times as a matter of course.

■Three benefits you can get from the Kintsugi experience

In addition to simply repairing the pottery, there are three other benefits that you should experience through the Kintsugi experience.

1.Learn about the history of kintsugi and feel the “mottainai spirit” of the Japanese people
2.Experience restoration techniques unique to Japan
3.You can enjoy Kintsugi tableware even after returning home.

Kintsugi is a traditional culture that has been rooted in Japan since ancient times, so you can get a good feel for how the Japanese approach things.

If you know the history of kintsugi, you can feel the “mottainai spirit”

Kintsugi is not just about repairing vessels. Through the Kintsugi experience, you can learn about Japanese history and experience the “mottainai spirit” that is unique to the Japanese people.

As mentioned above, around 10,000 years ago, there was evidence that tableware was already glued with lacquer and used while being repaired. Then, over 400 years ago, during the Muromachi period, the tea ceremony became popular. Tea utensils are very expensive, so even if they are chipped or broken, they are repaired and passed down to future generations.

Furthermore, the modern kintsugi technique, in which the restored lacquer is decorated with gold powder, was born from the maki-e technique practiced in the Muromachi period. Kintsugi is a technique created by the Japanese people’s “mottainai spirit,” which considers “flaws to be part of the history of objects,” and rather enjoys making them more beautiful.

Experience restoration techniques unique to Japan

The idea of ​​repairing and continuing to use a pottery even if it breaks is a uniquely Japanese way of thinking. In Europe and America, people repair items such as bags and shoes so that they can be used for a long time, but it is common for them to be repaired to make them look like new.

However, there is no other place in the world in Japan that has a technique that not only repairs, but also uses gold powder to make scratches stand out and create a new look, and you can experience this technique for yourself during the Kintsugi experience.

In addition to regular Kintsugi, there is also a method called “Yoitsugi”. This is not just a simple restoration, but a method of combining pieces of other vessels into the missing parts of the vessel, like a patchwork. It will take on a completely different look from the original vessel, creating a new piece of art.

You can enjoy Kintsugi tableware even after returning home.

In the Kintsugi experience, you can take back to your home country the pottery that you have made with all your heart, so you can enjoy the beautiful pottery by using it for meals or decorating it even after you return home. If you kintsugi a Japanese-style pottery or a pottery that you have loved and brought home with you, it will bring back fond memories of your trip every time you look at it.

Many travelers who were unable to experience Kintsugi due to time constraints request to purchase Kintsugi pottery as a souvenir to take home. At one time, kintsugi souvenir vessels were so popular that they were difficult to obtain. Additionally, restoring precious vessels and using them for a long time will lead to sustainability.

■There are two types of Kintsugi experience.

There are two ways to experience Kintsugi:

・Simple Kintsugi
・Honkintsugi

Both simple kintsugi and genuine kintsugi are the same in that the vessels are glued together and decorated with gold powder, but each has different characteristics. Here, we will explain the characteristics of the two types of Kintsugi, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.

Simple Kintsugi is hard to fail even for beginners

In simple kintsugi, substitutes such as adhesives, epoxy resins, and synthetic lacquers are used instead of real lacquer when gluing vessels together. In addition, in order to make the experience more affordable, we may use substitute gold powder or brass instead of gold powder. The advantages and disadvantages of experiencing Kintsugi using Simple Kintsugi are as follows.

If you want to take it home and enjoy it as art, or if you are traveling and want to take it home immediately after the experience, you may want to choose simple kintsugi.

Honkintsugi allows you to enjoy Japanese tradition

Honkintsugi is a traditional technique for restoring vessels using real lacquer and pure gold, and is characterized by its appearance being resistant to deterioration. The advantages and disadvantages of having a Kintsugi experience with Honkintsugi are as follows.

If you want to fully experience traditional Japanese techniques, or if you are staying for a long period such as one month, you can try Kintsugi through Kintsugi.
If you want to experience Japanese culture, try Honkintsugi.

■3 Kintsugi Experience Classes for Different Purposes in Tokyo

Once you understand the history and techniques of kintsugi, choose carefully where you should experience kintsugi. Here, we will introduce the perfect Kintsugi experience class for the following three purposes.

・I want to experience Kintsugi in a short time
・I want to enjoy not only Kintsugi but also art and walking around the area.
・I want to take time to deepen my Kintsugi skills.

Please use this as a reference when choosing a classroom that suits your experience time and purpose.

In “Kintsugi Life”, you can easily experience kintsugi using simple kintsugi techniques. Although real lacquer is not used, all the tools used meet the standards of the Food Sanitation Act, so they can be used as tableware even after kintsugi.

The details are as follows.

If you are unable to prepare a vessel, you can purchase a trial vessel for 300 yen. In addition, if you have time to spare during your stay, you can also take the “hon urushi kintsugi” course, which will deepen your understanding of kintsugi by attending classes four times.

If you want to enjoy art and culture along with the Kintsugi experience, check out “Taku Nakano CeramicArts☆”

“Taku Nakano CeramicArts☆” is a kintsugi class held by ceramic artist Taku Nakano. You can experience Kintsugi by choosing from the following three courses depending on your preference.

The atelier is located in Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, and the “Kintsugi Walk” where Mr. Nakano personally tours the famous spots in Omotesando is also popular. Kintsugi classes also provide instructions for writing in foreign languages.

If you want to take the time to deepen your knowledge of Kintsugi, visit Tenaraido.

At Tenaraido, you can take a total of 8 classes (approximately 4 months) on “Tsunagi Kintsugi” using traditional techniques. In addition to learning the full-fledged kintsugi technique, students will also work on the “polishing finish” themselves, so that they can learn to do kintsugi by themselves in the future.

The details are as follows.

For those who want to further deepen their knowledge of kintsugi, we also offer “deepening kintsugi” and “first makie” classes, as well as the “kintsugi dojo.”

■Summary

Kintsugi is a traditional Japanese technique in which broken or chipped tableware is glued together with lacquer, and gold powder is added to the scratched areas to create a new pattern. It can be said that this culture embodies the Japanese “mottainai spirit,” which considers “even damage as part of the history of things” and carefully restores them, uses them for a long time, and passes them on to the next generation.

There are two types of kintsugi experiences: “simple kintsugi,” which even beginners can easily take home on the same day, and “honkintsugi,” which takes time and uses genuine lacquer. Consider where you would like to experience Kintsugi, depending on your time and wishes.

【Q&A】
Q. Is there anything I need to prepare in advance for the Kintsugi experience?
A. For Kintsugi experiences that can be done in one day, most of the things you need are provided in the classroom.
Make sure to wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.

Q.At what age can I try the Kintsugi experience?
A. With simple Kintsugi, children can enjoy Kintsugi from around the age of 10 without worrying about getting a rash.