Kintsugi
Etymology
From Japanese "kin" ("gold") and "tsugi" ("joinery, to join"), literally "golden joinery." The practice dates to around the 15th century and is tied to the aesthetic of "wabi-sabi," which finds beauty in imperfection and age.
noun · /kin-TSOO-gee/
The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold-dusted lacquer, making the mend a visible feature rather than a flaw.
What it names
Names both a craft and a philosophy — that breakage and repair are part of an object’s history, to be honored rather than hidden.
Example
Rather than toss the cracked bowl, she had it restored with kintsugi, the gold seams tracing where it had broken.
Related idea
Wabi-sabi is the broader worldview that finds beauty in imperfection and impermanence; kintsugi is one of its most literal expressions in craft.