Repair & Resilience: What the Ancient Art of Kintsugi Teaches Us About Turbulent Times

Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold, invites us to reimagine brokenness not as an end but as the beginning of transformation. This ancient practice offers a powerful metaphor for social change in today’s fractured world—marked by crisis, upheaval, and a collective reckoning with injustice. When we see the cracks not as flaws to be hidden but as opportunities for growth and beauty, we unlock a deeper resilience. 

Iku Nishikawa, founder of Kintsugi Oxford, led workshops at the Skoll World Forum this year entitled Repair & Resilience: A Kintsugi Workshop. Reflecting on themes of transformation and possibility, this Japanese art form offers a tangible process to alchemize the mess of the moment into something beautiful and hopeful. We sat down with Iku to learn what Kintugi has to teach us during these turbulent times.

Kintsugi reminds us that healing is an intentional act, one that can lead to stronger, more luminous outcomes than what existed before. At Black Fox Global, we champion bold missions with a global impact; kintsugi resonates deeply with our work. We partner with leaders who are not afraid to confront broken systems—who choose to repair, reimagine, and rebuild with intention and care. This moment calls for that kind of alchemy: gold in the cracks, strength in vulnerability, and transformation through purpose. This short film, The Art of Repair, created for the Skoll World Forum 2025, brings these themes to life through a visual poem.

Our Conversation with Iku Nishikawa

BFG: Tell us about Kintsugi and how you came to found Kintsugi Oxford? How does it inform your life?

Iku: A Japanese Urushi organization asked me and my husband to expand urushi work (an adhesive used in kintsugi, derived from the sap of the urushi tree) in the UK and Europe in 2014. And we decided to use kintsugi. I knew about kintsugi, and I also knew it was very difficult to master. When we invited two young people from a Urushi maker and a top craftsman from Kyoto, they showed me how to do while they staying at my place. 

Their casual approach to repairing many valuable items was surprising. My casual workshops are based on them. They used epoxy glue and putty to repair items in a short time and finished with the traditional method. Epoxy glue and putty are very familiar materials for me, so I started this easy kintsugi first. And gradually get into more traditional side. 

First, I started selling excess materials, which I had to import from Japan, and then people started asking me how to use the materials. So I made YouTube videos and started a workshop. Then some people started asking me to repair their items. Gradually, it became a small business in 10 years. I used to be a Japanese language teacher. I’m good at teaching.

BFG: You led a workshop on this ancient art at this year’s Skoll World Forum entitled Repair and Resilience. How do you see the connection between Kintsugi and this global convening?

Iku: Kintsugi is one of the traditional repairing techniques in Japan. I’m so surprised that it became a global hit over the last 10 years. Here in the Western world, people talk about a philosophical meaning in it, but I feel it is their interpretation of this repair and art. Now, Japan has started following this interpretation. For me, it is still a repair technique, I am very practical with it.

BFG: How does Kintsugi relate to resilience and the times we’re currently living in?

Iku: You can translate it in your way. The only thing I can say is that we have been facing the end of consumerism for the last 10 years. Kintsugi is a part of minimalism and living a slow life.

BFG: What do you think we can learn from this ancient art?

Iku: Try it. Otherwise, you can’t learn anything. It is the same as sports, painting, and music. Kintsugi is just a tool. I always tell people that no matter what the outcome is, you will be happy making beauty out of broken pieces.

Our Takeaway: Beauty Lives in the Broken Places

In a world consumed by speed, productivity, and perfection, kintsugi offers a quiet countercurrent—a practice rooted in patience, presence, and care. It teaches us that resilience is not just about bouncing back but about integrating the past into a more intentional future. Through Iku’s journey and the hands-on wisdom she shares, we are reminded that transformation doesn’t come from erasing the cracks but from illuminating them. Whether in our systems, our communities, or ourselves, the art of repair is both a personal and collective act—one that invites us to embrace imperfection, honor history, and craft a more beautiful future.