Kintsugi
At Momiji Creative Studio, damaged ceramics are repaired using Japanese lacquer techniques, including kintsugi (gold), gintsugi (silver) and urushitsugi (black or other coloured lacquer). Each repair is undertaken by hand, respecting the object's history while giving it a renewed life.
We do not use epoxy resins or epoxy-based fillers at any stage. Instead, repairs are carried out using natural urushi lacquer, obtained from the sap of the lacquer tree, alongside other materials used in established Japanese repair techniques.
The process involves carefully rejoining broken pieces, filling cracks and rebuilding missing areas where necessary. Each stage requires time for the urushi to cure before the repair can be refined and finished. Depending on the complexity of the work, this can take several weeks to several months.
Services & Resources
Kintsugi Commissions
Material Price List
1:1 Sessions
View our price list for traditional kintsugi repair materials.
Personalised one-to-one sessions exploring kintsugi techniques using urushi lacquer.
Live demonstrations of traditional Japanese kintsugi techniques using genuine urushi lacquer.
Demonstrations
Free Repair Journal
Free Presentation
Enquire about having your ceramic item repaired using Japanese kintsugi techniques.
A free printable, low-content journal for recording your kintsugi repair process and tracking your progress.
A free introduction to authentic Japanese kintsugi, its history, materials and traditional techniques.
Kintsugi Enquiries
Interested in a repair, one-to-one session, demonstration or our materials? Please email us with your enquiry.
For repair commissions, describe the ceramic item and the damage, following the guidance in our Kintsugi Commission Information PDF.
Materials & Process
Kintsugi is a meticulous process that uses natural urushi lacquer, derived from the sap of the Japanese lacquer tree, alongside traditional materials such as wood, flour, mineral powders and precious metals.
Damaged ceramics are carefully assessed before repair begins. Broken pieces are joined using urushi-based adhesives, such as mugi-urushi, made from wheat flour, water and natural urushi lacquer. Cracks, chips and missing areas are gradually filled and refined using mixtures of lacquer and natural materials.
Each stage requires sufficient time for the urushi to cure under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. Unlike conventional adhesives, urushi hardens through a gradual chemical process, and successive layers cannot be applied until the preceding work has cured sufficiently.
Once the repairs have been completed and the surfaces refined, they can be finished with genuine gold or silver powder, or with black or other coloured urushi lacquer.
A Process That Takes Time
Depending on the extent of the damage and the complexity of the work, a kintsugi repair can take several weeks to several months to complete. Much of this time is devoted to the careful curing of successive layers rather than continuous hands-on work.
This unhurried approach is an essential part of kintsugi, allowing each stage of the repair to be completed with the care and attention it requires.
Momiji Creative Studio
Japanese Lacquerware & Kintsugi
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