Kintsugi: Using Gold to Fix Broken Pottery into New Art

Kintsugi is an art form that uses gold to mend broken ceramics and embrace their flaws. Despite its Japanese name, its roots can be found in Chinese lacquer craft. This Chinese craftsman has been doing it for eight years, and he shows us how he repairs these items step by step.
#China #Asian #kintsugi #gold #ceramic #pottery
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00:36 Roots in Chinese lacquer
01:24 Slow and steady process
04:20 Letting it dry
05:13 Kintsugi’s beauty
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Producer: Lyn Yang
Videographer: Patrick Wong
Editor: Nicholas Ko
Mastering: Victor Peña
#kintsugi #China #Japan #pottery #ceramic #gold

[@iamdawt]

I've always wondered about the process, and I was not disappointed. It's so lovely.

[@SimonLi]

shows that imperfections can be beautiful and i love it

[@mosaicgirl4002]

I’ve been fascinated by this art too- so wonderful in so many ways. I’m keen to try…even if in a rather humble way!

[@CONEHEADDK]

Do it :)

[@The-Portland-Daily-Blink]

I could listen to him talk forever. What a soothing voice. And what he is doing is so important culturally. I'm glad there are people like him still in the world.

[@origincolorssketch]

loved the close-ups while he was working on an item. Such a peaceful little interview.

[@kylinki7]

Beauty in imperfections, very applicable to our own lives! Love how he just casually mentions fixing a Yuan Dynasty porcelain too haha

[@SarahDraughon]

beautiful

[@simplica1]

I expected this had to start in China and not Japan. Didn't know its part of the lacquer fixing process. Thanks for showing us the process!

[@nancyli4601]

Your videographer/cinematographer is so talented. This looks like a scene from a multimillion dollar movie.

[@xyz7572]

I wonder what the lacquer he uses and mixes with flour is made from 🤔 Edit: and the red lacquer too! What is it made of? 😯 I want to try to do this at home 😅

[@gokosazdoski2139]

Thank you for the video. I have Japanese Brocken plate and would like to repair it . What are the names of the glue and lacker Please, and where can we buy them ? Many Thanks Kind Regards Goko

[@ilovedogs8700]

I wonder what that lacquer is made of, or if I could buy it(or a similar adhesive) somewhere?? I need a quality adhesive that would work well on semiprecious stone- my family has a chess set, it's an heirloom, and the pieces are made of marble. Some of the larger pieces, the kings and queens, have cracked in half, and we've tried to glue them together. The glue used is this thick, nasty bubbly stuff that just looks so ugly and isn't really good at bonding to stone. I want to clean off the glue and repair them properly with a lacquer like this.

[@queenmamabear5812]

This is Beautiful WoW

[@midnightcat6116]

I didn’t know this started in China! Very cool! Lovely sentiment 💖

[@cookbook800]

That is absolutely amazing!

[@adamnyawo2403]

Powerful imagery

[@howtosurviveelectronichara6474]

To not only repair, but to make stronger

[@Xx1Garmadon1xX]

The Sheep and the Goats 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

[@SultanKahnBey]

I think it was solid gold not paint

[@RobnGG]

How u gonna mention a pot that's worth 700k and not even show it

[@msladybug019]

really need some academic reference on how kintsugi actually came from china and not japan like where does this claim came from

[@biggusballuz5405]

Not sure why you are even surprised, many things people think of as "Japanese" are actually Chinese, Sashimi is the best example. Besides, the chip on the Heirloom Seal of the Realm was repaired in such a manner with gold.

[@ernie4629]

​@@biggusballuz5405 The world is a complex place where different cultural practices can have roots in other cultures. There are many things in Japanese culture that have roots in Chinese culture. However, it is not correct to simply call those things "Chinese" just because they have some of its roots in China. Eating cut pieces of raw fish is just as much Chinese, as it is Norwegian, Peruvian, Polynesian, Italian, or Japanese among others. Eating raw fish is near universal to the world's costal cultures. Of course, aspects of how the raw fish is consumed in Japan could have been influenced by China through cultural exchange and migration, but to say that Sashimi is actually Chinese because China has a history of eating slices of raw fish is not much different from saying that most of Szechuan food is actually Mexican because chili peppers originated in Mexico. If the sliced raw fish is being eaten in the context of Chinese cuisine, sure it's Chinese food, and in that case, it should be called by its Chinese name. If the sliced raw fish is being eaten in the context of Japanese cuisine, it is sashimi, and it is Japanese. Likewise, even if Kintsugi and lacquerwork has some roots in China, simply saying that Kintsugi is originally Chinese without acknowledging the history of the craft in Japan and the influence Japanese culture had on it ignores history and the complexities of cultural exchange, as well as the centuries of evolution of the craft in Japan. The video would honestly have been more interesting if it featured someone practicing the craft in a historically Chinese context, using the original Chinese terms, and showing how the Chinese version is different from the Japanese version, rather than simply stating that Kintsugi is originally Chinese. Either way, what madamemaron was asking for were references to back up the claims made in the video. It is important for any informative source to be backed up with research and evidence.

[@ddjohnson9717]

Wikipedia is your friend

[@flysmask]

@@ernie4629 you clearly didn't watch the video. He perfectly explained that the fixing with lacquer craft was passed from China to Japan, where it was able to thrive and develop the use of gold in the process. The process is the same, China just didn't use gold at least that was what I got from the video. Also claiming something origination from China is not the same as claiming something is entirely Chinese. No one denies local influences and development from there on, just that it's origins began in China and was passed to other countries. Sashimi is literally just technique of cutting raw fish, it isn't just eating raw fish, the origin of cutting raw fish into a dish was spread from China to Japan where it's been able to thrive and develop with its own unique characteristics, so much so it has become recognised as distinct Japanese which is not the case. The same is true of Tatami, matcha, etc. These are all originally Chinese but have distinctly been developed into sub categories by local countries. Japan explains this themselves on a similar when requesting intangible cultural heritage for a duanwu festival. They distinctly recognize this as a Chinese original festival but point out that due to local adaptations and customs it has become its own unique thing. What u are doing in ur explanation is mixing up simultaneous origin and development to adoption and addition development.

[@ernie4629]

​@@flysmask Please read Qin ShiHuang's comment, which is what I was replying to. He is the one that implies simply that Kintsugi is "actually Chinese", and goes on to explicitly state that sashimi is an example of something that "people think of as "Japanese" [that is] actually Chinese."

[@duncanmit5307]

💜💜💜👍👍👍

[@hoodyk7342]

PEOPLE NEED TO STOP EATING GOLD

[@Jandodev]

We accept the cracks so we fill them with gold

[@Terrakinetic]

Like tattooing around scars to incorporate it into a design.

[@hayek218]

This is a lie. Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese concept, and so is Kintsugi. What was it called and where in China was Kintsugi performed? In which literature does the Chinese version of Kintsugi appear?

[@kddiodox]

fixing broken pottery pieces is actually a custom since prehistoric times in East Asia. Traces of repairing the damaged ceramics can be seen in Jomon pottery, Method of using lacquer glue to fix pottery in the excavated earthenware from Japan’s Jomon Period. It was not for artistic purposes, but rather ulitarian and pragmatic ones, People did not have nearly as many possessions as we do today, so they valued their things and repaired them for continuous use , so it isn't surprising that the Chinese could fix broken ceramics too, the same lacquer tree that can be found in Japan, China and also on the Korean peninsula. Urushi is a natural material that has outstanding protective and adhesive properties, being used for repair and as natural glue. Nevertheless the Japanese made it an artistic expression... Japan as one of the worst earthquake prone lands on earth, they got used to fixing broken pottery pieces on a daily basis. Earthquakes happen every day in Japan, in most circumstances they are weak and imperceptible, but enough to pull objects out of their place such as ceramics on their shelves. Besides when you compare, the material culture of wood (Lacquer is a varnish that is often used on wood to create a durable and shiny surface) has been much more appreciated in Japan, an example making it easy to see the old Chinese bridges are typically stone and bricks, meanwhile in Japan, carpentry for bridges was nearly absolute... The kintsugi (gold) technique may have been invented around the fifteenth century, when Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the eighth shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate after breaking his favourite cup of tea sent it to China to get it repaired. Unfortunately, the chinese repaired with unsightly, ugly and impractical metal ligatures. It seemed that the cup's beauty was lost forever but its owner decided to have some Japanese craftsmen repair it. They were surprised at the shogun’s steadfastness, so they decided to transform the cup into a jewel by filling its cracks with lacquered resin and powdered gold. The story seems plausible because the invention of kintsugi is set in a very fruitful era for gilded household objects in Japanese culture. For instance, the Japanese byobu screens and lacquerware are characteristically decorated with gold, the Chinese ones aren't

[@simplica1]

He said it at the start, it's called Jin shan xiou bu. No westerners can say it so they remembered the Japanese name.

[@hayek218]

@@simplica1 It is Japanese. The concept of appreciating broken things does not exist in other places.

[@weeshuggie228]

Sorry China, this technique is wholly Japanese (hence the name) and can be traced back to at least the 14th. century.

[@danielblue4460]

China is the very root of fine china/ceramics there is a chance it started from them too.

[@weshuggie]

@@danielblue4460, if that is the case, why not give the technique a Chinese name?....oops!....I should not have given the communists any ideas! Whenever China mentions the term "ancient times".....you have to take it with a grain of salt. It kind of reminds you of their fake ownership of the South China Sea, East China sea, Natuna Sea, and Taiwan. (just to name a few) Keep it in mind that much of their history, and more than half of all their inventions are fake.

[@weshuggie]

@The Lymerick, don't be silly, it is not racist to dislike communists, besides, they are barely human, (hence all the problems we have) they are an aggressive parasite still learning how to feed on a democratic host and survive.....but don't worry,....there is absolutely nothing ancient about them,.....their parasitism has only been around for a hundred years or so,.... the west will always find a cure,....just like we did with head lice and tapeworms.

[@weshuggie]

@The Lymerick, you are missing my point completely, (I don't think you are too bright, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt) the Chinese communists have always spun the ridiculous yarn that China influenced Japan in so many ways, but I totally disagree. If that were the case, why is it that the Japanese people are clean and honest, do not spit, defecate, or empty their nose in the street, steal toilet seats from hotel rooms or throw rocks at animals in zoos to make them move?.....you see, the Japanese are in a higher class all on their own, not influenced by China. Therefor, the answer your dopey question is no!.....it is an ancient Japanese art that has been copied by the Chinese,......lets face it,.....they copy and fake everything.

[@00Julian00]

@The Lymerick ignore the nationalist troll

[@queenmamabear5812]

This is Beautiful WoW