Kokuzo Bosatzu

kintsugi  History

Prince Koretaka Shinno (844 - 897 AD) ... was a Buddhist monk and waka poet. He had retired to meditation in the Honrinji Temple in the imperial city of Kyoto. On the last day of his meditation period - November 13th - he received a teaching about urushi from Kokuzo Bosatsu, which the prince is said to have passed on in two writings. Koretaka is credited with the makie technique, which reached its peak in the Kamakura period (1185 - 1333 AD).
The technical and artistic roots of kintsugi (gold connection) go back to the traditional craft experiences around urushi (Japanese lacquer). With kintsugi, the urushi image scattering technique - makie - is implemented in a special way.