About The Kintsugi Labo JAPAN

In Japan, cracks, stains, and traces of use have long been seen as features that add to a vessel's story rather than diminish its value. Yet, many valuable ceramic vessels are quietly discarded each year — damaged by age, flawed in the making, or left behind when their owners pass away. Once broken, they are more often replaced than restored.

In 2020, we founded The Kintsugi Labo JAPAN to restore these overlooked vessels with natural urushi lacquer. In doing so, we preserve not only the objects themselves, but also the time, skill, and intention invested in their creation. Every vessel reaches us already broken, gathered through trusted suppliers across Japan — we never break one ourselves. Each restoration spares a piece from disposal. In this way, we carry the vessels' stories forward for a new generation of collectors.

The decision to sell internationally came from Yosuke Inui, the designer behind our brand identity. Collectors abroad, he told us, had long been asking where in Japan they could find authentic kintsugi. Here it is mostly a private restoration service or a school subject — finished pieces rarely reach the open market. We built this cross-border studio to change that.

We started with one artist. Now, six artists work with us. Each is based in Shiga or Kyoto. They include a nationally certified Master of Traditional Crafts who specializes in urushi lacquering for Buddhist altars, an artist with over forty years of experience creating and restoring urushi lacquerwork for Buddhist altars, temples, and shrines, and four Kyoto City University of Arts graduates who majored in urushi lacquering. They all bring their craft to kintsugi alongside their own practices.

Over 300 broken vessels have come to us from across Japan. In March 2026 we reached our 200th sale, with pieces now in the hands of collectors in more than 15 countries. Each one carries the mark where it once broke, and is worth more for it — modern luxury, made sustainable.