Yobitsugi: The Art of Repairing with Foreign Fragments
We saw in our previous post the description of the Yobitsugi concept with the introduction of ceramic pieces different from the original, notably with the fairly simple insertion of a piece of Chinese porcelain in the body of our small cup ( read previous post ) .
I recovered a batch of broken ceramics including a blue and white soba noodle soup bowl. I immediately managed to see the multiple possibilities of creation thanks to the Yobitsugi and Kintsugi concept. This time I wanted to place a large white ceramic piece and a smaller one on a traditional Japanese blue bowl used for Ramen soup.
This exercise presents a difficulty: the insertion of the two pieces of white ceramic on the blue bowl. Indeed, the three pieces must fit perfectly, both in the vertical curve and in its horizontal circumference. The idea is to leave as little void as possible, which will then be filled with the Sabi mixture.
The Kintsugi urushi technique is always carried out with the same materials and tools: ki urushi, mugi urushi, jinoko, muro drying, sanding and polishing, lacquer work.
After many attempts at placing and adjusting the broken parts, another difficulty arose: matching the circular design of the blue piece with that of the white pieces because they each have a different design. After several unsuccessful attempts to assemble them together, I finally managed to find a satisfactory aesthetic and visual aspect. The three pieces ended up fitting together naturally with the necessary space that I will fill with the Sabi mixture. All that remains is to start creating for a rebirth of the new bowl.
In the kintsugi urushi technique there is always a shadowy part during the assembly with the mugi-urushi. During the drying I let gravity act, which sometimes has the effect of moving the pieces of ceramic by a few millimeters. Usually it doesn't bother me, quite the contrary, but this time I wanted to obtain a perfect assembly. The operation on these pieces was a long work of research, method and patience and after a while I managed to materialize the image I had of the piece.
Once the assembly, the drying (a few weeks to make sure that the structure of the bowl holds) come the traditional steps of kintsugi urushi: same materials and tools, ki urushi, mugi urushi, jinoko, muro drying, sanding and polishing, the work of black and red lacquers and the sprinkling of 24 carat red gold powder from gold leaf (Junkin-keshifun akakuchi) that I explain in my various posts on my blog.
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