Kintsugi Analysis

Most people hate damage because it creates pain and pain gives unpleasant feeling. They see damage as a marker for “bad experience ahead!!” or “Avoid at all cost. Don’t let it happen to you.” But as stated in the quote, pain makes you become better person if you know how to embrace it. Imagine when Michelangelo’s David was craved, hammer and chisel were struck against the marble block, damaging it, but eventually the block of marble was turned into one of the most famous statue in the world. During the old time, the Japanese also took different view on this concept and created a ceramic repairing technique called “Kintsugi”. Kintsugi is traditional repair technique that reflects philosophical idea while showing off the skill of the craftsman.
As stated the introduction, concept of kintsugi is to accept the damage and to embrace it, to treat it as part of the story that the object had to take. There is Buddhism principle in japan called “wabi-sabi” where it is stated that “nothing is perfect, nothing last forever and nothing is completed”. Kintsugi can be interpreted as a way to say that the object is never complete; the breakage of the ceramic is not the end of it but rather another page in its history. Kintsugi usually made the ceramic more appealing than it ever used to be, it shows that by accepting the change and adapting to it, you can become better than ever. Another concept is “no-mind” which is the state where a person is not weighted down by unnecessary thoughts such as fear or anger. By achieving this state, you can take more risk as you will not feel attached to certain thought or afraid to take action. Similarly, kintsugi is reminder of this concept that by accepting state of “no-mind”, you can take more risk and be braver you can strive to become
As the result, there are multiple authentic “kintsugi” ceramic in museum around the world, such as Metropolitan Museum of Art and Smithsonian Institution. There are also DIY kits and several tutorials on the internet that most people can follow and create their own DIY “kintsugi” along with workshop project by several organizations that teach Kintsugi as conservation project. Some even propose a new way that results in faster, cheaper, and easier “kintsugi” that are quite close to the authentic “Kintsugi”. Kintsugi is a prime example for technical and beautiful art that has deep meaning behind every stroke of brush. It is an extremely valuable art that show how culture in the past express their philosophical teaching in physical work rather than literature. It shows that pain is part of life that will improve you if you can learn to accept and embrace it. Or as stated in quote. The strongest people are the one who adapt to damage they are given, turning it from negative power to positive power that push them