Kintsugi also known as kintsukuroi, came about by accident (how fitting). According to art historians, during the 15th century the current Japanese shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa sent a broken tea set to China to be repaired. What was returned back to him was not art all aesthetically pleasing. To make the shogun happy, Japanese craftsmen tried to find a “prettier” way to mend or repair broken pottery. It is said that collectors were so in love with this new art that they would deliberately smash valuable pottery so it could be repaired using this new golden technique!
The beauty behind this art is that it also goes hand in hand with the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi which embraces the flaws and imperfections as a way to honor and appreciate nature’s beauty.
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