A Beginner's Guide to Kintsugi: The Japanese Art of Repairing Pottery and Glass PDF
Preview A Beginner's Guide to Kintsugi: The Japanese Art of Repairing Pottery and Glass
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO The Japanese Art of Repairing Pottery and Glass MICHIHIRO HORI TUTTLE Publishing Tokyo Rutland, Vermont Singapore C O N T E N T S Why I Wrote This Book 5 Part 2 Part 1 KINTSUGI BASICS Shards 28 Photo Gallery 6 Chips 34 How to Use This Book 12 Expert Tips: How to Clean Supplies 39 GETTING STARTED Cracks • Fissures 40 You Can Fix These Types of Things 14 Nicks 44 What is Kintsugi? 16 General Process Overview 18 Pretreatment 20 Adhesive: Mugi-Urushi 22 Filling Holes: Sabi-Urushi 24 Expert Tips: About Urushi Rash 26 Part 3 Part 4 KINTSUGI FINISHING TOUCHES OTHER KINTSUGI APPLICATIONS Apply the Kinpun/Gold Powder 50 Kasugaitsugi 64 Expert Tip: Kinpun/Gold Powder Varieties 55 Yobitsugi 68 Applying Precious Metal Powders 56 Glass-tsugi 72 Expert Tips: About Precious Metal Powders 60 Reinforcement 76 Yakitsugi 82 Expert Tips: How to Care for Projects Mended with Kintsugi 84 Q & A 86 Suppliers 90 Conclusion 94 4 Why I Wrote This Book Have you ever experienced the heartbreak of a beloved vessel or ceramic piece cracking or breaking apart? Kintsugi is the art of beautifully mending broken pottery and prolonging its life. Kintsugi is a traditional Japanese method of repairing ceramic using lacquers made from natural resources. The word “kintsugi” means “golden joinery.” Historically, whenever the need arose, a skilled artisan would mend tea ceremony pottery with a special lacquer made from gold or silver powder. In modern times, more and more people are taking an interest in challenging themselves to try kintsugi techniques. My own workshops in Japan, which I call “The Kintsugi Club,” were created for those curious about this unique art. It’s exciting to see this curiosity taking hold in the West. In this book—just as I do in my workshops—I introduce both beginners and intermediate kintsugi aficionados to a DIY approach to making lacquer and applying it using various kintsugi methods. Four essential pillars of my approach: 1. Traditional: we will incorporate historically accurate techniques using real lacquer called “urushi” 2. Safe: we will ensure the least amount of harm, which means not using paint thinner or benzene 3. Enjoyable: it will be fun, easy-to-understand, streamlined 4. Economical: since mending is the goal, we will use kintsugi in the most cost-effective way With the above in mind, my goal is that anyone will be able to learn kintsugi at home with accessible materials and tools. Even if it takes a little extra time and effort, mending a much loved piece with your own two hands is a joyful endeavor. I invite you to take a whole-hearted dive into the art of kintsugi. —Michihiro Hori 5 Photo Gallery Mid-Edo period, exported Koimari Sometsuke bowl. Mended with copper. 19th century French Baccarat glass plate with floral motifs. Gold leaf is used to patch glass. 6
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