Director Terushi Sho’s video on Kintsugi was posted recently on BBC Reel, Japan’s ancient philosophy that helps us accept our flaws, giving the viewer a window into the ancient practice of this art form. Kintsugi artisans take broken pieces of pottery, and repair them with a lacquer made of tree sap, then brush the irregular seams with gold. Although the original pot becomes whole, it retains its broken history. Its flaws deepen the object’s poetic meaning; they make it more beautiful.

From Kintsugi, I treasure the concept that we do not have to hide our pain. We do not have to find ourselves “perfect.” Instead, by looking into the fragments of who we once were, we find the means to accept what has happened in the past. We can steep ourselves in the beauty of a tradition that celebrates the wisdom, the gold, that age and experience can bring.

In the patient acceptance of imperfection, I take heart in the creative process of looking at flaws with curiosity and tenderness, seeing mistakes as an opportunity for inner enrichment. In the scars of the past, there lies a vein of hidden gold, that can once again make us whole.

https://www.bbc.com/reel/playlist/ultimate-japan?vpid=p08mk3br