Kintsugi
/kɪnˈtsuːɡi/noun
A Japanese technique of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered metal, traditionally gold.
Did you know?Traditional kintsugi uses urushi, a natural lacquer made from tree sap, so its celebrated golden seams are both artistic repairs and records of an object’s history.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Middle Chinese
金 *kim
“Gold; metal—ancestor of Japanese kin”
8th Century
Old Japanese
kin 金
“Gold or metal, used in Japanese compounds”
Old Japanese
Japanese
tsugu 継ぐ
“To join, mend, continue, or succeed”
Medieval Japanese
Japanese
tsugi 継ぎ
“A joining, splice, or repair, formed from tsugu”
Late Medieval–Early Modern Japan
Japanese
kintsugi 金継ぎ
“Literally, “gold joining”; the repair of ceramics with lacquer and powdered gold”
Modern English
English
kintsugi
“A Japanese ceramic-repair technique, and metaphor for embracing visible damage”
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