In Western cultures the aim of traditional ceramic repair has been to make the broken item 'as good as new'. Kintsugi on the other hand leaves an obvious repair, one that may appear fragile but which actually makes the restored ceramic piece stronger, more beautiful, and more valuable than before. This book explores kintsugi, its history as well as modern practices, using interviews with traditional kintsugi masters in Japan, and reflects on the reasons for its development and the cultural attitude of 'creativity through destruction'.
