What is kintsugi ?

Kintsugi is the ancient Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with lacquer mixed with gold powder. Rather than hiding the cracks, it highlights them, turning the object into something even more precious than before. As a philosophy, Kintsugi is the perfect metaphor for resilience. It teaches us that our scars are not something to be ashamed of—they are what make us unique.

the kintsugi process

In the traditional Kintsugi method, the repair takes 6 steps. A  long and highly meticulous process, unfolding over multiple steps, taking several months, even years.. The slowness and patience required reflect an inner journey just as much as the restoration of the object itself.

1. Break : The broken pieces of the object are first gathered and carefully cleaned
2. Assemble; Then they are glued back together with a traditional lacquer made from the lacquer tree (urushi) mixed with rice or wheat flour.
3. Wait: The object is then left to dry and is lightly sanded.
4. Repair: Next, the cracks are highlighted with successive layers of lacquer, which are finally dusted with gold or other powdered metals such as silver, bronze, brass, or copper.
5. Reveal: The metal powder blends seamlessly with the still-wet lacquer, creating the illusion of a flowing metal.
6. Sublimate: Finally, the object is polished, allowing it to reveal its full radiance.

Many Kintsugi terms are in Japanese, which can feel overwhelming at first. But this poetic and precise art can be approached step by step. We’ve created a simple Kintsugi glossary to help you understand the key words and materials. It’s not exhaustive—just a beginner-friendly guide to help you navigate the Kintsugi vocabulary.

The mirror of our own steps in life

It is interesting to note that each step of this six-stage Kintsugi process mirrors a step on the path of healing. Each one reflects your own transformation, one moment at a time. In our book Kintsugi, Finding Strength in Imperfection, we walk you through a full exploration of each of the stages, revealing how they resonate with both the physical repair and your inner journey. Each Kintsugi piece becomes an extension of your story—a symbolic companion that carries the echo of your resilience and your healing. Please find below a gentle introduction to these 6 stages of Kintsugi.

Do you have to break an object to practice Kintsugi.? Traditionally, Kintsugi is about mending what has been accidentally broken—restoring dignity and beauty to what once seemed ruined. But legend tells of collectors so captivated by the art that they intentionally broke their finest ceramics, seeking the golden rebirth Kintsugi could offer. Today, this act of intentional breaking is rarely done—except in a specific context: during healing Kintsugi workshops or spiritual coaching sessions. In these, participants mindfully break an object chosen to represent their inner journey, through a guided ritual full of intention and care. This broken piece becomes a mirror of their story—its mending, a symbol of transformation. In such a setting, the break is not destruction, but initiation—a meaningful step toward resilience, healing, and inner light. 

STAGE 1 : BREAK

The Art of Breaking

Kintsugi begins with a break. Sometimes intentional, sometimes accidental, it’s the moment the object shatters. Pieces are scattered, edges are sharp, and nothing seems whole. First, you must accept what has happened, gather the broken pieces, clean them, and consciously decide to repair rather than discard. Envisioning the transformation, you prepare yourself to embrace the journey of your reconstruction.

• Experience: Something unforeseen happens, a wrong move, a shock, and every-
  thing falls apart . . .
• Accept: Clear your mind and pick up the pieces.
• Decide: Make the choice to give the object a second chance, rather than throwing
  it away.
• Choose: Consider the different methods of repair and choose the one that suits
  you best: the illusionist method (invisible repair), staples (metal clamps along the
  cracks), or kintsugi (golden joints).
• Imagine: Be creative and dare to think differently!
• Visualize: Concentrate and imagine the repaired object in all its splendor.

And if a fragment is missing, surprisingly you will still be able to create your Kintsugi piece. Several traditional techniques exist to address missing fragments. One involves recreating the missing shard using sabi-urushi, a blend of urushi lacquer and powdered stone (tonoko) or wood. Another approach is yobi-tsugi—a symbolic method where a fragment from another object is used to replace the lost piece. This creates a poetic contrast and speaks to integration, cooperation, and the beauty of imperfection. Some even incorporate materials like tortoiseshell or precious stones for a more artistic and meaningful result.

The most important decision of your life

This mirrors the moment in life when you break—emotionally, mentally, spiritually. You feel shattered, like you’re lying in pieces on the floor with no way forward. In these moments of despair, the Kintsugi spirit offers a glimpse of hope: even though you’re broken now, you may one day be golden. Choosing not to throw yourselves away, but to believe you are worth repairing, is the beginning of healing.

Stage 2: Assemble

Filling the gaps

This second step is the art of bringing broken pieces back together with intention. First, the pieces are gathered, cleaned, and bonded together with care and intention. Then, using natural lacquer derived from the sap of the lacquer tree urushi, mixed with rice flour, you transform what was once broken into something whole again—filling gaps, reuniting edges, and even integrating new pieces if needed. With patience and precision, the object begins to take shape once more, carrying both its history and the promise of renewal.

• Prepare: Clean the pieces of the object, gather all the tools (palette knife, palette,
  lacquer, paintbrush, gold powder, drying box, wooden sticks, turpentine, sandpa-
  per, silk cotton ball), and protect yourself by wearing gloves.
• Reconstitute: Examine and assemble the pieces of the “puzzle” to get ready
  for repair.
• Transform: Turn the poison into an antidote! Utilize the natural lacquer (urushi)
  to glue the pieces together. It comes directly from the resin of the lacquer tree, and
  it’s highly toxic, so you must protect yourself while applying it. However, while it
  dries, it hardens and loses its toxic nature.
• Gather: Prepare and apply the glue ( mugi-urushi, a blend of flour and urushi
  lacquer) to both sides of the fissure with a palette knife, and glue the two pieces
  together to reconstitute the object.
• Fill: If you’re missing a piece, prepare a paste (sabi-urushi), blending the lacquer
  (urushi) with powdered stone (tonoko), and patiently re-create the missing piece
  with this paste.
• Associate: If it inspires you, you can even choose a piece from another object to
  replace the missing piece (yobi-tsugi).

Is Kintsugi “dangerous” ? Traditional urushi lacquer, which is at the heart of Kintsugi repair, is a sap extracted from the lacquer tree, and is indeed very irritating. Interestingly, the Latin name of this tree is quite telling: Toxicodendron vernicifluum. It contains urushiol, a substance that can cause severe skin and respiratory reactions. It is therefore essential to take precautions: work in a well-ventilated area, wear waterproof gloves, a respiratory protection mask, and ideally, safety goggles. Surprisingly, once the lacquer is completely dry, it loses its toxicity — so if you have only used traditional materials, you can even eat or drink from your Kintsugi piece.

Gathering Your Fragments

In life, this is when you begin to take stock of yourself. You examine the patterns, wounds, and truths of your inner world. You start the slow process of bringing yourself back together. Sometimes, you feel like some part of you are too shattered—reduced to dust. But the Yobi-tsugi technique reminds you that even a missing fragment can be replaced by another. Just like in life, reaching out for support when you need it most isn’t weakness—it’s part of the repair.

Stage 3 : Wait

Embracing the Stillness

After the pieces are assembled, you wait. The lacquer must dry and cure in a humidity-controlled environment—often for weeks or months. The object is then maintained with masking tape or rubber bands, and then left to dry in the traditional box called muro, allowing the lacquer to set and strengthen the bond. This stage requires patience—resisting the urge to rush. Just as healing takes time, the lacquer slowly hardens, preparing the piece for its final transformation.

• Remove: Scrape off the extra matter with a utensil (razor blade, toothpick, palette
  knife), and clean using turpentine.
• Maintain: Make sure the pieces stay in place by wrapping the object with masking
  tape or rubber bands.
• Breathe: The lacquer (urushi) is alive and needs to breathe to dry and to harden. Prepare a covered cardboard box (muro), and place a damp towel in the bottom. Using a number of wooden sticks, create a grid so the object can be placed on it.
• Pause: The lacquer hardens best at a humidity level of 75 to 90 percent and at a
  temperature above 68°F. Place the object in this box, maintaining constant tempe-
  rature and humidity levels.
• Clean: Carefully clean your tools (palette knife, palettes, brushes) aft er each stage
  with turpentine or vegetable oil, and carefully organize them so they are ready for
  their next use.
• Rest: Patiently leave the object in the box for seven to ten days, until it has dried.

How long does it take to create a Kintsugi piece? It varies depending on the complexity. After reassembling the broken pieces with the sabi-urushi, the object must dry for several days before being sanded. Multiple layers of lacquer and metal are applied, and each layer must dry before the next one is added. This process can take anywhere from two weeks to a month, but for more intricate repairs or larger pieces, it may take up to a year.

Let go and let gold

In a world that moves at an ever-accelerating pace, this waiting period may feel uncomfortable. But Kintsugi is here to remind you that healing takes time and cannot be forced—it must unfold in its own time. Like trying to force a flower to bloom or removing a cast too soon, rushing this phase disrupts the process. This stage becomes a form of mindfulness, an invitation to embrace stillness. It is a practice of letting go, trusting the process, observing our emotions, breathing, to allow the transformation to take root.

Stage 4 : Repair

Layering Strength

Now begins the delicate work of preparing the scars for consolidation. The surface is carefully cleaned, sanded and smoothed, to receive its first layer of lacquer. With slow, precise gestures, a fine brush traces the cracks, filling them with dark lacquer roiro-urushi—sealing the fractures, yet still keeping them visible. Each layer adds strength, protection, and depth. The process demands patience and control, requiring the artisan to breathe, focus, and apply each stroke with intention. As the lacquer sets, the once-broken object begins its true transformation, waiting for the final touch of gold.

• Polish: Once the object is perfectly dry, clean the excess matter with a scraper and turpentine. Then use sandpaper to completely smooth out the surface. What remain on the object now are nothing but brown scars (urushi-tsugi).
• Touch: It is sometimes difficult to recognize certain irregularities with the naked eye. Using your fingers and sense of touch, verify that all the joints are perfectly smooth.
• Apply: With a small brush, apply a first layer of black lacquer ( roiro-urushi) to all the joints.
• Concentrate: Breathe calmly, concentrate, and execute slowly, using measured and precise gestures to apply thin lines to the joints. Let this first application dry in the box for one to two weeks.
• Add: Polish the surface and apply a second fine layer of red lacquer (e-urushi or neri bengara-urushi).
• Reanimate: The joints are finally covered by beautiful red lacquer. Brilliant and free-flowing veins have cured the object to give it a second chance. Put it in the box for half an hour.

Shedding the Unnecessary

This step represents releasing what no longer serves you. You let go of toxic habits, people, and patterns. You reinforce healthy boundaries, sealing your cracks with new strength. It’s about stripping down to what truly matters to your life and creating a life that feels aligned, stable, and safe.

Stage 5 : Reveal

Touches of Gold

A final coat of deep red lacquer neri bengara urushi is carefully applied to the cracks, marking the threshold between repair and transformation. While still fresh and sticky, it becomes the perfect canvas for gold powder—or any metal, such as silver, bronze, brass, or copper—to be delicately dusted over the cracks. As the metal fuses with the lacquer, it creates the illusion of flowing veins, highlighting the fractures with brilliance. Once dry, the excess powder is gently removed, revealing the golden scars—each one a testament to resilience and beauty.

• Illuminate: While the lacquer is still moist and sticky, delicately apply the gold powder to the lacquer with a brush or a metal application tool (without touching it, as it is still fresh).
• Collect: Save any remaining gold powder for your next creation. Then put the object back into the box for two to three days for drying and hardening.
• Emerge: Once the lacquer has dried, use a silk cotton ball to gently remove any excess gold powder.
• Protect: To protect the golden joints, apply a fine layer of protective lacquer. After five minutes, gently dab the joints. Then let the object dry for twenty-four hours.

Is Kintsugi expensive? Kintsugi can be costly, both in terms of time and materials. The use of gold, in particular, makes it an expensive art form. Additionally, traditional Japanese materials, which are often required for an authentic process, further increase the cost. It’s a technique that demands time and precision, making it a serious investment, both financially and emotionally. However, the true value comes from the personal journey of resilience and repair. For beginners, using brass or more affordable modern materials may be an option—still capturing the essence of Kintsugi.

From Wounds to Wisdom

This is where you begin to see beauty emerging from your scars. The red lacquer beneath the gold symbolizes life returning—like blood flowing again through a once-wounded part. Your cracks become golden veins of strength. You’ve survived 100% of your past challenges. You’re still here. Those cracks speak of your experience, courage, and grace—radiating the power of your healing journey.

Stage 6 : SUBLIMATE

Polishing the Soul

The final touch transforms repair into radiance. Even when reduced to powder, gold remains gold—an unalterable metal that, once polished, reveals its deepest shine. The golden seams are thus polished, revealing their full brilliance, allowing the object to glow with newfound strength.

• Personalize: Use a tool you like to work with and that appeals to you to polish the golden joints. Some kintsugi masters use agate stones; others use ivory, fish teeth, or hematite stones . . .
• Dazzle: To make the gold shine, polish the object with a blend of oil and powder using the polishing tool you have selected.
• Observe: Take a step back and contemplate the repaired and sublimated object in all its uniqueness, strengthened by its veins of gold.
• Admire: Notice how the broken object has been reborn and has become a precious work of art, unique and invaluable.
• Contemplate: Remember the story behind the scars of the object.
• Feel: As the lacquer hardened while drying, feel how the object is even more solid than before.
• Welcome: Proudly accept the imperfections of the object. It is even more beautiful and precious once broken and repaired.
• Share: Present your creation. Share its history to inspire others that repair is possible.

Is Kintsugi only made with gold? Traditionally, yes. In Japanese, kin means gold and tsugi means to join—so authentic Kintsugi uses real gold to highlight the cracks. However, other metals can be used. Silver (gintsugi) and tin (tintsugi) are also traditional variations. In theory, any powdered metal can be used—such as copper, platinum, brass, or bronze—but the results will vary depending on their brightness and how they age over time. Beginners often practice with brass, as it offers a gold-like effect at a lower cost.

THERE’S ALWAYS A GOLDEN LINING

Radiate and Inspire

This stage invites us to step into your radiance. To embrace your wholeness, and share your story. Like an artwork on display, you allow yourself to be seen—not in spite of your flaws, but because of them. You become a living example of transformation and resilience, offering hope to others just beginning their journey.

Kintsugi as a metaphor for life

The mirror of our inner world

Each of the six steps of Kintsugi reflects a key moment in our inner healing. In our book Kintsugi, Finding Strength in Imperfection, we explore these six phases in depth and show how closely they can resonate with the journey we take through life. Our Kintsugi then becomes a witness to our story and to our ability to rebuild ourselves.

Pieces Into a Masterpiece

Kintsugi is not only an art, it can also be seen as a form of therapy in itself. A ritual of resilience where what has been broken becomes more beautiful, and where every shard and every fracture finds its rightful place, inviting you to turn your pieces into a masterpiece.

Begin Your Own Golden Repair

If these six steps resonate with your soul, why not walk the path yourself? Whether solo or through a workshop or personal guidance, we invite you to explore the golden thread of your own healing: because every cloud has a golden lining.

Starting your practice solo

You can easily find all the materials online, either individually or in ready to use Kintsugi kits. Depending on your level of perfectionism and your budget, you can follow the traditional method with genuine Japanese lacquer known as Urushi and twenty three or twenty four carat gold powder, which is recommended for food safe use, or you can simply take inspiration from the technique and combine epoxy adhesive with gold paint or mica powder. You will find reliable suppliers in the KintsuGuide, our Kintsugi directory.

You can even try with your children (with guidance on the delicate tasks). It’s fascinating how deeply children connect with the metaphor of Kintsugi—it speaks directly to their hearts. Often, they grasp it more easily than adults, needing fewer explanations. The process helps them understand resilience in a way that feels natural and meaningful.

If you prefer guidance

If you would rather be supported along this path of transformation, we invite you to explore our workshops “Kintsugi and Resilience: Transform your lead into gold”, or to contact us for individual guidance.

FAQ About The Kintsugi Technique

And if you want to deepen your journey and explore more about the Kintsugi Way, find also here other Frequently Asked Questions about the Kintsugi philosophy of resilience..

EXplore further

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us! We are Kintsugi Spirit, specialists in resilience through the metaphor of Kintsugi. You can start by exploring our dedicated Kintsugi Spirit website, where you will find an inspiring blog, books, resources, and recommendations. And if you’d like to discover how the practice of Kintsugi can help you turn your lead into gold, we invite you to explore our Kintsugi & Resilience workshops, or consider one-on-one guidance.

We look forward to exploring your life journey together through the prism of Kintsugi — and transforming your fault lines into lines of force!