About Us
What would you do if your favorite plate breaks? Throw it away?
You would go repair it if the item were an expensive watch or bag.
But, what about broken bowls? Ceramics? Earthenware?
When I broke a Polish bowl I cherished, I was devastated, and I looked for ways to repair it. And - I found “Kintsugi”.
Kintsugi is a Japanese traditional repairing technique for broken earthenware. It uses natural lacquer called “Urushi.” With Kintsugi, not only is the broken item mended for further use, but the scars are used to transform the item into a piece of art.
We are connecting
- people who have broken earthenware that needs repair
- people who can repair broken items
- people who would like to try Kintsugi on their own
We hope to create a sustainable society by taking good care of things instead of throwing them away.
At the same time, we provide more opportunities to artisans engaged in Kintsugi by bringing attention and support to the beautiful Japanese tradition and handiwork.
kNotPerfect Inc.
CEO Yuki Matano
More Information>
Latest News / Media
- 2021.04.24
- New Event
3&4 May Pop-up shop in “Into Craft our Lives”, an open-air market at Omotesando, Tokyo
- 2021.03.04
- Media
Broadcasted in the TV program “Asa-chan! - SDGs in the future” by TBS
- 2021.02.09
- Media
Broadcasted in the TV program “news zero” by NTV
- 2020.12.30
- Media
Reported in “Ichigaya Keizai Business Newspaper”
- 2020.12.28
- Media
TSUGUKIT Gold&Silver was appeared on a magazine “Hanako”
- 2020.11.20
- Media
Our Activities
Upcycle Project for Broken Ceramics
We are offering kintsugi workshops for Japanese and non-Japanese people.
To practice kintsugi, a broken, chipped, and/or cracked items is necessary.
However, breaking bowls runs counter to our values.
We assume that many people throw away their plates when they break - not knowing that the items can be repaired with kintsugi.
We ask neighbors, restaurants, and kitchenware shops to donate us their broken items.
If you agree with our values and are willing to donate your broken items to us, we will promote your shop in our workshop and website in turn!
We believe that kintsugi would contribute to achieve SDGs and bring a sustainable society.
Please join us!
More Information>
Kintsugi Workshop
You can repair your valuable - but unfortunately broken - items with kintsugi yourself!
To repair the item, you would need approximately 5 to 6 courses over 1 to 3 months.
“Traditional Kintsugi” is known to be difficult and time-consuming. However, we will share how to do it easily and enjoyably!
Repairing ancient times with natural ingredients by yourself is a fantastic experience.
The sense of accomplishment you get upon completion is exquisitely rewarding!
*We specialize in "Traditional Kintsugi," which uses natural ingredients and urushi. This is different from "Modern Kintsugi," which uses synthetic glue and epoxy pate.
Tokyo Kintsugi Workshop>
Online Kintsugi Workshop>
Kintsugi Matching Platform TSUGUTSUGU
If you have no time to repair your items by yourself, why don’t you ask professionals! Many kintsugi artisans are registered in our TSUGUTSUGU website, so you can choose your favorite one and ask directly!
TSUGUTSUGU is helpful when there are not that many broken items, when the item is broken into many pieces, and/or when the broken item is glass.
Feel free to join TSUGUTSUGU and get connected to Japanese artisans before you give up keeping your valuable items!
TSUGUTSUGU site>
Japanese Best-selling Kintsugi Kit “TSUGUKIT”
Kintsugi is an entertaining hobby to enjoy at home – especially during the current situation with COVID-19.
Our TSUGUKIT contains all the necessary tools/ingredients in a compact box.
With the kintsugi manual and free YouTube tutorial video, any beginners in the world can try kintsugi.
After kintsugi, you can post photos of your item on SNS and show it off to your friends!
Our TSUGUKIT is a No.1 selling kintsugi kit in the 3 biggest Japanese EC sites such as Amazon Japan, Rakuten, and Yahoo! Japan.
*We specialize in "Traditional Kintsugi," which uses natural ingredients and urushi. This is different from "Modern Kintsugi," which uses synthetic glue and epoxy pate.
Traditional Kintsugi Shop TSUGUTSUGU>
Click here for details on the Kintsugi kit>
Kintsugi Kits
Try Kintsugi at Home by Yourself!
After mastering kintsugi under an urushi artisan, Katsuya Shibata, the CEO created this stylish Kintsugi Kit for beginners who speak either Japanese or English.
Kintsugi tutorial videos will be continuously uploaded on this website to answer
questions and provide further insights into the kintsugi technique, so please enjoy
kintsugi at home!
Gallery
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Fishing Net Pattern Makie Kintsugi
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Wave Pattern Makie Kintsugi
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Hemp-leaf Pattern Makie Kintsugi
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Kintsugi for a chipped edge
Blog
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31/08/2021
Australian TV interview – Similarities between Paralympic and Kintsugi
Hi everyone! Tokyo Paralympic is now open! A few days before the Tokyo Paralympic opening ceremony, Tokyo Kintsugi Workshop TSUGU TSUGU received a phone call from Australian news TV!! Σ(゚Д゚) Today, I’m gonna talk about what happened to us and how the interview went 🙂 About the TV Program The TV Program is called “7 […]
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16/08/2021
Book Review: Three Well-known English Kintsugi Books
As a Japanese kintsugi-girl, I read the three popular English kintsugi books and write reviews about them! Kintsugi Wellness: The Japanese Art of Nourishing Mind, Body, and Spirit Author: Candice Kumai Concept of this book: Kintsugi x wellness This book combines the authors heartbroken stories and wellness tips by showing many Japanese recipes. The interest […]
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13/08/2021
Can I repair my bowl which was broken into 21 pieces?
Hi everyone! It is now summer in Japan and it is actually the best season for kintsugi lovers. Japanese summer is known for being very hot and very humid, which creates the perfect conditions for urushi lacquer to harden quickly. 🙂 Today I’m gonna talk about my experience repairing a bowl broken into 21 pieces. […]
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FAQ to Kintsugi Workshop
What is Kintsugi?
Kintsugi is a Japanese traditional technique to repair broken items since the Jomon period (10 thousand years ago). Highlighting and mending scars of broken items and turning them into art are unique Japanese concepts. The value of the item is higher than before it was broken. Kintsugi is trending not only in Japan, but also in the world.
How to do Kintsugi?
Follow the steps below;
Step 1: Apply urushi on the broken surface and/or the chipped area, and leave it in the urushi box.
Step 2: Stick the broken pieces together and/or fill the chipped area with urushi, and leave it in the urushi box.
Step 3: Fill the small holes with urushi paste to uneven the broken/chipped surface. Leave it in the urushi box.
Step 4: Apply black urushi and leave it in the urushi box.
Step 5 : Apply bengal-red urushi, sprinkle gold powder, and leave it in the urushi box.
I am totally beginner. Can I do kintsugi?
Almost all the participants in our kintsugi workshop are beginners, so no worries!
We will explain not only the kintsugi methods step by step, but also the background of the procedures. Therefore, anyone can enjoy and master kintsugi!