Portland Japanese Garden is thrilled to feature Kintsugi: The Restorative Art of Naoko Fukumaru in our Pavilion and Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Galleries this fall. Kintsugi is an ancient method of mending damaged ceramics using urushi (natural lacquer) dusted with powdered gold. This type of mending highlights the beauty of imperfections, rather than trying to hide them. This timely exhibition will explore universally resonant themes of healing through the artwork of kintsugi artist and master conservator Naoko Fukumaru.
Fukumaru has over 20 years of experience as a professional ceramic and glass conservator at the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and other institutions in the U.S., Europe, Egypt, and Japan. She was born in Kyoto, Japan to a third-generation antique auction house company, and grew up around artwork. Her work as a kintsugi artist is rooted in the belief that what is broken can be beautiful, and in the transformative power of healing spiritual wounds as well as ceramic artworks. In this article, Fukumaru shares her impressions from her 2022 visit to Portland Japanese Garden and discusses the art of kintsugi.
Thoughts from Naoko Fukumaru
Ingredients of the Garden
“I visited Portland Japanese Garden in November 2022. I was drawn in by each element of the landscape, which brought up nostalgic childhood memories of my grandparents taking me to various Japanese gardens in Kyoto. Moss carpets created spaces of deep tranquility and transcendent beauty; water flowing through the rocks of the creek symbolized the flow of life; and skillfully pruned pine trees were stylized structures that lent each of the specimens its own personality. I was fascinated by the authenticity and magic of Portland Japanese Garden. At the end of my visit, I realized that care and love are the main ingredients of this place. It was unmistakable that staff, volunteers, visitors, and all who were involved in this Garden, were giving so much love, care, passion, and pride here. This truly resonates with my kintsugi artwork. Kintsugi is a 500-year-old art form of mending damaged ceramics with urushi, natural lacquer, dusted with powdered gold. This method of mending is seen as enhancing the beauty and value of objects by celebrating their imperfection and impermanence. This approach is the opposite of traditional Western ceramic restoration, in which the damage to the work is sought to be hidden, which I studied and practiced for 25 years.”
The Process of Making
“The kintsugi process is time-consuming—it takes several months to complete a piece. The first step is to reassemble the fragments of a broken object with Mugi-Urushi, which is made from wheat flour and water with urushi lacquer. Once reassembled, joints and chips need to be filled with Sabi-Urushi, which is made of stone powder, water, and urushi lacquer. The filler needs to be sanded to make a smooth surface. Then several layers of urushi lacquer are applied over the filler. Finally, gold powder is applied and polished up. It is important to let lacquer cure properly between each process for a few days or weeks, and curing also needs to happen in very specific humid and warm conditions.”
A Story of Healing
“I spend several months restoring each ceramic with care and love. When the owners are reunited with their kintsugi-restored ceramics, they are amazed at how the damage has transformed into beauty. Many tell me, ‘Wow, this is more beautiful than when it was complete. I am happy that the ceramic got broken.’ To me, this is extraordinary. I never heard this compliment in all my 25 years doing traditional Western ceramic restoration. Because kintsugi does not hide damage, we can accept and celebrate mistakes and imperfections. People can overcome their traumas and sufferings when they realize they can find beauty in imperfection. Kintsugi teaches us how to forgive ourselves and others and how to make a better world by applying its philosophy to everyday life. I am truly looking forward to sharing my stories and artwork with your community this fall.
Sponsors for Kintsugi: The Restorative Art of Naoko Fukumaru
