The Kintsugi Journal

Kintsugi 金継ぎ is the ancient Japanese art of putting broken things back together.

If your entirely new to Kintsugi and never heard of this before, we have summarised the beauty of this Japanese art form and how it connects to resilience, healing, mental wellbeing, growth, trauma, transformation and an incredible mindset shift.

The word Kintsugi comes from the Japanese word Kin (gold) and Tsugi (join), and therefore literally means: golden joinery. The art of Kintsugi is called Kintsukuroi, meaning “mending with gold”.

Kintsugi is a beautiful metaphor for a life, and one we should all adopt. It has been carried through Japanese culture for hundreds of years! It symbolises resilience and vulnerability by highlighting that our scars, when embraced, make us more unique and beautiful. Its an Invitation for growth helping you to remember the process and investigate your own resources for healing and transformation.

If we look at the repaired pottery with its golden scars(kintsugi), we may have viewed it as imperfections and discarded it, rather now we see it as a source of strength and beauty. This reminds us of our uniqueness, our inner strengths, and resilience.

In life, this teaches us we must view hardships and scars not as weaknesses, but as unique, valuable parts of one’s journey that make a person stronger and more beautiful. So, embrace our own imperfection, flaws and brokenness as they are a natural part of life. We all experience difficulties and traumatic events in our lives. It’s these struggles, pain and suffering that shape who we become once repaired (healed). We should all encourage by this philosophy by turning trauma or disappointment into a beautiful, repaired, and stronger version of oneself. Is crucial to know we can all emerge from life's challenges with greater strength, wisdom, and compassion. Its never the end, there is always room for growth and transformation.

Every crack tells a story, every repair represents resilience, and every imperfection reflects a journey of growth.

So rather than hiding cracks (challenges), accept them and find new perspectives in these live events just like Kintsugi highlights them with gold. Show vulnerability and own one's history, scars, and mistakes as "golden" stories of survival. With time, patience and resilience, we can repair ourselves and learn from mistakes.

By reframing painful experiences as opportunities for healing & growth, we create a more meaningful existence and perspective of life after hardship. The process encourages viewing one's own scars with kindness and compassion. It serves as a reminder to remain optimistic during difficult times, knowing that restoration is possible. 

K.I.N.T.S.U.G.I.

From a different perspective- Lets break it down and ask yourself these questions!

K — Kindness: Without kindness and love, we cannot heal.

What do I need right now?
How can I look at what happened with a voice and eyes of self-kindness?
What would a voice of compassion say?

I — Investigate: Kintsugi is a process of diligence and requires attention to detail. This principle applies to our wounds as well.

Be an investigator of your life.
How would you describe your situation from an outside perspective?

N — Notice: Notice what’s broken. Take time and just notice.

What in your life needs attention right now?

T — Time: Healing needs time. Most of the time the broken cup will rest in a cupboard ranging from two days to two weeks. At this time, the lacquer hardens. The Kintsugi object will gain strength. Often we want a “quick fix”. But there’s no shortcut to healing.

What process in your life needs time and rest?

S — Stillness: Kintsugi is a silent process. The healing is happening in moments of stillness. The broken cup becomes stronger in the pause. It requires trust and patience.

What is stopping you from allowing yourself to sit in stillness with yourself?
Are there any assumptions that prevent you from exploring stillness and taking time to rest and heal?

U — Urushii: This is the Japanese lacquer used in kintsugi is called urushii. In its purest form, urushii is highly poisonous, but it is also one of the strongest materials for restoring the original shape of broken pottery.

The poisonous nature of urushii and its ability to heal represents a strong visual duality in the kintsugi process. Urushii can be harmful, but when applied correctly, it has the power to restore.

What resources can you seek to better yourself?
What unique tools do you have access too?

G — Gold: The gold seals the cracks. They become golden scars. They can be a strong manifestation of the impact, that life events have on our lives. Yet the golden shining displays strength, uniqueness and beauty. They represent our ability to heal. They are a sign of personal growth and transformation.

What cracks brought light into your life?
What did the cracks reveal?
Which life events can you see as “golden memories” today?

I — Intention:

What is your intention now that you learnt the Kintsugi process?

Allow some wonder about the process, allow some gratefulness.

What have you found in this process?
What is possible from here?