Kintsugi classroom
Tomizo Saratani
I started studying lacquer art at the age of 15 in high school and have now dedicated more than 50 years of my life to lacquer art. After living in three different countries outside Japan, I finally returned to Japan in 2020 and have been living in Yamanaka Onsen, Kaga ever since.
During my time abroad, I was able to gain enriching experiences and meet many inspiring people. Now I have returned home to pass on my skills, knowledge and the values I live by to the next generation.
Why do I teach kintsugi?
In Japan, it was common to throw away old things and replace them with new ones. New things were being made all the time, but it was not customary for these things to be restored and in use for many years.
Over time, however, attitudes have changed and old things are now valued again. More and more people are making a point of using beloved objects for a long time, which has led to a real "kintsugi boom".
Sooner or later, ceramics inevitably show signs of use. In order to preserve them, people try to repair them.
I want to help people restore high-quality objects so that they can enjoy them for a long time. In my classes, I want to teach advanced restoration techniques.
I hope that people will be able to use these skills to earn some extra money and that they will use the courses as an opportunity to delve deeper into the world of lacquer and maki-e.
What is kintsugi?
"Kintsugi" refers to a method of restoring ceramics using the maki-e technique with gold, silver, platinum or blue gold powder. As recently as 60 years ago, this technique was referred to by experts as "funtsugi". It was only about 20 years ago that this term was replaced by the term "kintsugi". Kintsugi has now become very popular outside Japan.
