Do you know a Japanese culture(practice) called “Kintsugi”? It is a practice to repair(mend) broken pottery pieces with lacquer. It is introduced as a metaphoric symbol of embracing imperfection. Sashiko/Boro are in the same category. However, I haven’t seen an artist who breaks a pottery piece with a hammer, and repairs it then calls it “Art”, yet I can see numbers of photos damaging the good new fabric with files/sand-paper, then mending it for their “Art”. What is the difference? Do people break pottery piece on purpose to mend with Kintsugi in Western society (It may be just me who do not know).
☆
Extracting an idea from foreign language is very attractive. There are so many Japanese words which are “condensed” with filtering. “Wabi-Sabi”, “Mottainai”, “Ikigai”, they are probably more than what you know – so is Sashiko.
☆
–
–
–
☆
「侘び寂び」だの「勿体ない」だの「生き甲斐」だの、様々な言葉が外国語になる過程で独り歩きしているのが現状です。僕は昔は、「（日本人がしっかりしてれば）別に海外でどう言葉が使われたって良いんじゃね？」と思っていたのですが、いざ国外に移住してみると、日本語話者じゃない人には、その独り歩きした言葉が文化として伝わってしまっていて、怖いなぁと思うのです。英語が母国語の娘に歪んで伝わるのが一番怖い。
☆
「金継ぎ」という修復文化は、不思議とそれほど歪曲せずに伝わっているような気がします。数年前は一大ブームでしたし。とはいえ素人なので、専門家の方からみれば歪んで伝わってしまっているのかもしれません。ただ、「壊れた器を美しく修復する」というのはわかりやすいんだろうなと思います。刺し子も襤褸も一緒だと思うんです。「破れた布を補修する」。不思議なのは、金継ぎでは器をトンカチで壊して修復して「KINTSUGI」と呼ぶのは変だと感じるのに、刺し子や襤褸になると、布をヤスリでぼろぼろにするのがアートの一部とされていること。確かに器の修復は趣もあるし、なぜか優雅さも加わって侘び寂びを感じるから……なのか？まだまだ勉強は続きます。
☆
2021-06-02 17:05:50
I would never break something only to fix it. But I was grateful to learn about Kintsugi after a beloved ceramic piece of mine ended up broken. The dish still has life, and I continue to enjoy it. I would also never call my repair art or Kintsugi, but it was definitely a major inspiration and influenced me to not simply throw something away that is flawed but still beautiful.
This is such an important concept. Thank you for sharing and teaching us. I always get so excited when my jeans start to wear out because then they’ve finally earned some sashiko!
🔥🔥🔥🔥
Yes, Westerners do break pottery to imitate Kintsugi. Or imitations are manufactured new to look as though they’ve been mended.
People have been distressing denim in the west that way for way longer than we’ve known about Sashiko. It’s just mixing the two practices. You can even buy brand new pants that have holes in them.
Thank you so much for all your teaching. I have never purposely ripped fabric to mend it but I will admit to waiting with excitement for wear to form so I can add some new stitching ☺️
I would mend garments that were actually old and damaged. I’d never distress a new garment to that degree to try sashiko. Too much work!
I would mend garments that were actually old and damaged. I’d never distress a new garment to that degree to try sashiko. Too much work!
Haha right. Mending becomes the new chic ? Our society is full of extravagance. But isn’t it how goes the world ? By cycle. What was despised by the richer becomes coveted at a point and finally neglected…
😂You will be shocked Atsushi!!!….but western people DO break new and old plates to put them back together as mosiac. I have a friend who makes fabulous mosiac planters, plaques and birdbaths and she uses special techniques to break plates and tiles which are then stuck back together with grouting in between. You must think we are barbarians…..?
This is something I have seen done, and suggested on home decor/diy projects. I also coincidentally just saw an Instagram advert for a ‘kintsugi kit’ 😞
i believe the disconnect comes because many people don’t place fashion in the same category as art in the western world, even when a lot of work goes into it. fashion is seen as temporary, ephemeral, and disposable. it’s one of the reasons that we lack a foundation in mending nowadays. the trendy versions of mending… the visible mending movement… are seen by some not as a way of preserving and respecting cloth and clothing… but as just another fashion trend that must be satisfied now and will be tossed aside when the trend is over. i’m not saying that all people feel this way… just that some do, and as a result, they see no paradox in damaging something just so they can be seen to mend it beautifully. sadly, it’s actually common with other “crafts” too. i say “crafts” because there is a mental distinction between “high art” and “crafts” in the west. crafting is seen as quick and easy, requiring little talent or skill. one craft that often takes new items and breaks them just to reuse them is mosaics. it is common for people to buy new patterned cups and plates just to smash them to bits and use them to cover table tops, etc.
🤩 🔥🔥🔥🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
This is beautiful! So well written too! ❤️
It is very difficult to make a transfer from one culture to another, because its trajectory and its way of feeling have a significance of the place of origin. I am a restorer and I understand that restoring a piece is giving it the value that its author gave it in its day, for this you have to learn to feel the original origin … Quite a challenge.