The Art of Kintsugi: Learning the Japanese Craft of Beautiful Repair

by Alexandra Kitty

Beauty in imperfection! Learn the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi and understand why, in the way of kintsugi artists, broken is better than new. This is your guide to putting the pieces back together to restore broken plates, vases, and other ceramics and glass items to be even better than before. Starting with repairing a simple dent or crack, you'll gain the skills to reconstruct goblets, vases, plates, spherical objects, and statues. Transform your broken pieces and heirlooms or create new works of art and wearable art with this method. Explore kintsugi's fascinating origins in 1400s Japan, its history, and its philosophy, along with ways to push the boundaries for your creations today. As you repair ceramic and glass objects—kintsugi works both for precious and thrift-store-level items—you'll learn the traditional methods as well as modern methods not taught elsewhere. You'll soon appreciate why kintsugi is the only Japanese art form that has taken a spiritual philosophy as its very purpose.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Japan

96 pages, Hardcover

Published November 17, 2020

About the author

Alexandra Kitty is an award-winning author of twenty books, including The Art of Kintsugi, The Dramatic Moment of Fate: The Life of Sherlock Holmes in the Theatre, The Mind Under Siege: Mechanisms of War Propaganda, A Different Track: Hospital Trains of the Second World War, and The Sport of Presidents..

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gives a good historical overview of Kintsugi, the Japanese craft of repair. The book, however, does not give good examples of actual repairs. For the most part the repairs done by the author look pasted together. The seams are gloppy, bumpy and heavy, totally unfitting to the pieces she is repairing. These are just repairs, there is no art or craft involved. There are many fine examples of Kintsugi but they are not show in this book. Understanding how to repair mistakes and damage is part of learning to be a great artist or craftsperson, unfortunately this book will not teach you.

[Rafa Willisch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am very interested in learning about kintsugi but I believe I chose the wrong book to start with.

[Taija · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has solid information but the author’s voice is uneven and sometimes the book suffers from a lack of flow. Purpose of the book is to instruct in the art form of Kintsugi, which is does from a strict perspective and framing of the form. This strictness may turn many readers off. Additionally, the author attempts to weave the spiritual, philosophical and cultural teachings of the form throughout the book’s instruction; sometimes this interweaving with has resulted in poor transitions or overly reliant on shorthand’s, such as metaphors and trite adages. Writing in the book is strong in the technical areas and could’ve used more editing for the contextual and philosophical content.

Overall, I learned a little bit of the Japanese tradition, nothing about modern adaptations, and way too much about how Westerns use this for making art and sculptures. There were no information about how to prepare and clean ceramics for repair/use. Unless you want an introduction to doing Kintsugi with only traditional materials, processing and finishing techniques, the general reader or hobbyist should pass this book by.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book provides a decent introduction to the philosophy and origins of kintsugi but falls short in delivering a practical guide for beginners. The lack of clear instructions and relevant visuals made it difficult to follow, especially for someone looking to try kintsugi for the first time. While the historical and philosophical aspects were interesting, I was left wanting more detailed and accessible guidance for the craft itself.

[jedioffsidetrap · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good for a basic introduction of the philosophy materials & techniques but the author’s pieces look chunky & rough— hardly the aesthetic of beautifying the breaks.