Don’t Throw Away What’s Broken!
Three things we can learn from the art of Kintsugi
Have you ever dropped a plate or a mug? — Probably!
Did it annoy you? — Maybe!
Have you ever heard of Kintsugi? — Well if you haven’t, you’re not alone!
In a podcast episode I listened to, someone casually dropped this expression and I didn’t know what it meant, so I did some research to find out more about it. The concept of it felt so mind blowing to me that I decided to capture my biggest learnings in this article.
I’d like to share with you what Kintsugi is, what it has to do with broken dishes and reveal some hidden lessons of a shattered plate.
The Japanese Way Of Repairing What’s Broken
The word Kintsugi has its origins in Japan and translates to “golden joinery”.
It is believed that it first occurred in the 15th century when a shogun — a Japanese military commander — broke his favourite dish and asked for it to be repaired.
Dull materials were utilised in an attempt to mend it, but over time, the use of golden coloured lacquer became more popular to hold the broken pieces of ceramic in place.
