From Mother Melania:
“Have you ever heard of kintsugi? Literally ‘golden joinery,’ kintsugi is ‘the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with urushi lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum … As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise’ (Thanks, Wikipedia!). I won’t presume to discuss the Japanese philosophies related to this art. But there are certainly deeply Christian parallels to be drawn. Three come immediately to mind.
“First are those who valiantly and humbly endure life’s inequities or unjust persecution, such as Job, Patriarch Joseph, Jeremiah, and the beggar Lazarus. Crushed in various ways through no fault of their own, these saints became beautiful not despite the cracks, but because of how they dealt with them. Without such trials, these saints would never have become as great as they are.
“Second are those who sinned greatly but repented deeply, such as King David, Peter, and Paul. Their great sins are there for all to see and the sins remain sinful. Yet, Christ healed their fractured souls with the gold of their repentance and faithfulness.
“Then there is Christ Himself. He didn’t just valiantly and humbly endure unjust persecution: He came to earth for that very purpose – for OUR sake. So, His wounded side and hands remain in eternity as visible signs of the beauty of His victorious self-sacrificial love.
“So, let’s take heart. Are we innocently enduring persecution? Christ can make us beautiful through our trials. Have we fallen into serious sin? We can repent and still become great saints. We can even go past these things to suffer freely for love of Christ and His people. Thus, we shall most deeply resemble Him Whose greatest glory is that He was freely broken for our sake.”
—Abbess Melania, Holy Assumption Monastery
Gladsome Lights 
Your musings are appropriate, and meaningful. That said, something else caught my attention: the urushi oil itself. The oil which makes poison ivy (and oak, and other plants) so irritating is urushiol, and I wondered if there might be a connection. Indeed there is. From a recent post, I learned:
“Urushi, the sap of the urushi tree, is the base material of authentic kintsugi-repair using all natural ingredients. It is what makes this tableware restoration technique antipest, antiviral, antibacterial, and so durable. Not to mention, 100% food safe.
The urushi tree is the cousin of mango, cashew, and poison ivy. As a result, some people fear working with urushi. Like poison ivy, it does indeed contain a compound called urushiol that can cause minor skin irritation to a more severe allergic reaction, depending on the individual.”
There’s another interesting fact about the tree which produces the substance: “As one of the most resilient natural lacquers, urushi is derived from the resin of the urushi tree (Rhus verniciflua), predominantly found in East Asia. The extraction process harnesses the tree’s innate vitality, as the resin is produced for self-healing when the tree is damaged.”
Here’s one more interesting note. The genus Rhus is familiar here, and perhaps in your area as well. It contains several varieties of sumac!
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Thank you, Linda, for amplifying the meaning of this tradition- it’s a wonder how humans have learned to appreciate the complex gifts of the plant world, and in this case, to take the healing property into another realm, and so artfully.
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Kintsugi reminds me of Isaiah 61:3 where God promises beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the spirit of praise for heaviness. He truly transforms lives.
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That’s a fitting verse ❤️
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Have you ever heard Makoto Fujimura talk about kintsugi? This whole interview is wonderful, but that part is one of the best.
https://www.ttf.org/portfolios/evening-conversation-can-beauty-save-the-world-with-makoto-fujimura-and-dana-gioia/
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No, I haven’t! I haven’t thought about that artist for a long time, but I will look forward to clicking through that link — and I see the name of my beloved Dana Gioia there, too. Thank you, Janet! ❤
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Uplifting and powerful, Gretchen. It is deeply good to be reminded of these things. Thank you.
I am sending this to a friend of mine, an American who now lives in Japan.
God bless you richly.
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I’ve watched a few kintsugi clips that didn’t explain the oil used. Thanks to Linda (above) for more on urushi oil and Gretchen for the spiritual connection so beautifully described by Abbess Melania.
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how lovely!
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This is so good, and I hope will be seen by many.
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