5 kintsugi variations you didn’t know existed

When we think of kintsugi, for most of us there is a specific quintessential image that comes to mind. A piece of pottery, perhaps a bit of hazy blue-and-white Victorian willowware with a thin meandering vein of gold highlighting the very line down which the pieces split into fragments. Perhaps the golden line is smooth and polished, catching the light, or maybe a bit matte, absorbing the rays. The finish will always be dependant on the type of gold used, but the general image is more or less the same.

Well, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. And as it turns out, there are multiple ways to repair ceramics.

I first got to thinking about this when I pulled out my collection of mudlarked ceramic sherds from the foreshore of the Thames. I should offer the caveat that you need a permit to go hunting around in any serious fashion on the Thames foreshore , and you usually need to report any significant finds to MOLA. However, if you are out for a casual stroll during low-tide, the things you will find just on the surface of the beach are plentiful and fascinating. Over the years, I have collected a few hundred of these bits, usually no more than a few centimetres in size, but packed with information. The marbled lines of Staffordshire slipware, a blue and white piece of Victorian delftware, the black bodied centre of a thick terra cotta piece, smoothed by the lapping of the waves. With each of these pieces, there is a whole story about how it ended up there. London is ancient, and I wouldn’t do it a great deal of service by trying to outline its history here, but this is all to say that the Thames which runs right down the middle is one of the oldest open archeological sites in the world. Ever changing by the daily tide, you will never walk upon the same bit of foreshore twice.

All of this to say, that as I was examining my collection of pieces a few years ago, I was also starting to refine and hone my skills as a repairer. I then saw an example of repair that would totally change how I thought these fragments could be used. A bowl, white with blue delft pattern, with two tiny fragments of clashing patterned china inserted where a chip would be. Each nestled into a perimeter of polished gold. This technique is called yobitsugi and is a lovely complimentary technique to your kintsugi repair practice. I have since learned that there are several variations to kintsugi repairs that you might not come across in a casual google search. Some of these are quite difficult to find examples of, but are well-worth knowing about.

Here are 5 companion practices to add to your repertoire…

YOBITSUGI

The first, and perhaps my favourite is a technique called yobitsugi. The patchwork quality of this repair type makes it distinctive, and it also has similarities to the make-do tradition of mending. In make-do, parts of different objects are used to create handles, lips or lids where these parts might have gone missing, often using disparate materials for the repair (like a ceramic teapot, with and industrial looking metal handle). This spirit of ‘waste-not’ or mottainai (less waste) fits in perfectly with the ethos of kintsugi repair. And aesthetically the effect of a carefully chosen fragment to fill a missing hole really strikes a cord.

URUSHI-TSUGI

Sure, precious metals are beautiful. But what if you just… didn’t finish your repair lines with gold? This is the beauty of the urushi-tsugi repair. Not only does it highlight the natural minimalist beauty of polished black (kuroroiro) or red (bengara) urushi in its cured state, but it has the added benefit of sealing the surface to protect it, and being less costly than finishing with 24kt gold powders. If you are looking for a unique finish, and one that is also anti-bacterial, water-proof and food-grade safe once cured, this is a lovely alternative to the traditional gold kintsugi finish.

GINTSUGI

While kin means ‘gold’ or ‘golden’, gin means silver. Lesser seen in the specialty of kintsugi repairs, but equally as beautiful. In addition to being a food-grade safe type of finishing metal (keep in mind that not all are), silver creates a beautiful cool finish that suits darker glazes so well, it’s like they were made for each other . Finish is just one of the factors you might consider when working out the type of repair would best suit your object. While silver and gold are some of the traditional finishes to consider, there are a few other metals commonly used, including copper, tin and of course bronze.

GLASS

The quality of glass is obviously somewhat different from stoneware, and more closely resembles the tightly packed particles of a porcelain. So for these reasons, glass has slightly different considerations in the kintsugi process. Traditional methods for repairing glass can be deeply frustrating, as the mugi urushi step can be impossibly difficult to achieve successfully. It just does not love sticking to the smooth surface of glass. However, if you’re willing to put in a little bit of practice, the effects can be stunning. This is also a case where modern-hybrid kintsugi repair can be your best friend. Modern materials, epoxies and the like, are a much stronger and more friendly material in the repair of glass. The transparency of glass offers lots of interesting results with both methods, creating beautiful black or amber lines running through the glass, with a surface finish of gold.

MAKI-E REPAIRS

Kintsugi itself is inextricably linked to the practice of maki-e, and is actually known to be a subset of this already specialised craft. The tools and materials used in the thousand- year-old practice of maki-e overlap with the tools you might gather for your kintsugi kit, and maki-e artisans often learn to practice kintsugi repair as a compliment to their skills, not necessarily as their primary practice. Maki-e translates to ‘sprinkled picture’ and in this practice artisans use fine brushes to paint intricate designs with lacquer, then sprinkling gold or silver powder of different grades over the wet lacquer to create shimmering, elegant patterns. Once dry, the surface is polished to reveal the detailed artwork. You can see how kintsugi would be born from this craft, and in repair, it is sometimes worked into the practice, with the addition of tiny maki-e scenes along the edge of a polished fill.

I have experimented with some of these techniques in the studio, and am excited to be offering a few specialty sessions in yobitsugi repair later in the year. If you haven’t already, sign up to the mailing list to be the first to know all about our new classes.

Love,

T.S.C.

MORE THAN GOLD