Accepting donations for an upcycling project !
At Tsugu Tsugu, we are strong advocates of upcycling. Upcycling consist of finding a new use for a broken or unused object while adding an extra value to it. As a company specialized in kintsugi repair, we see kintsugi as a traditional type of upcycling. With kintsugi, we do not simply aim to revert broken objects to their original state, we turn them into pieces of art by highlighting their scars.
If you have broken vessels sleeping in your cupboards, it may be time to give them new life and give them the chance to be reused again.
Every year, large quantities of ceramics and tableware are thrown away due to chips, cracks or breakage. And yet, most of these items could still be used if only they were repaired properly. At Tsugu Tsugu, we aim to uncover the potential of broken ceramics and inspire people to look at what is hiding in their attic or cupboards before buying anything new.
In order to reduce ceramic waste and showcase the beauty of kintsugi, we have launched an Upcycling Project : we are currently collecting broken ceramics that you do not use anymore to repair them in our kintsugi studio !
If you have chipped, cracked, broken pieces of tableware that you do not use, you can donate them to our studio in Ebisu/Hiroo. Our team of kintsugists will be honored to restore each item and give it a new glow with kintsugi.
Why have we started the Kintsugi Upcycle Project?
Kintsugi has been used for centuries to repair broken ceramics in Japan. It became very popular in the Muromachi era (around the 14th century), which saw the culture of zen and tea ceremony flourish. At the time, kintsugi was often used to repair bowls used for the tea ceremony.
Over the last few years, kintsugi has been in the limelight again. Nowadays, we are much more aware of our environmental footprint, a lot of people have got an increased interest in finding ways to repair the things they have instead of constantly replacing them with new objects. In this context, kintsugi is getting popular again as a great way to extend the period of use of broken pieces of tableware. With its focus on upcycling and its exclusive use of natural ingredients, kintsugi is a technique strongly rooted in a respect for nature and a philosophy that fosters sustainability.
Yuki Matano, the CEO of Tsugu Tsugu Inc. , was featured in the Japanese program "News Zero" on 9 Feb 2021
Thanks to its efforts towards a more sustainable society through the promotion of kintsugi, Tsugu Tsugu has been recognized by the Japanese SDG Association as a SDG-compliant business.
A few months after releasing its kintsugi kit TSUGUKIT, Tsugu Tsugu opened in February 2021 its first kintsugi studio in Ebisu/Hiroo. It also started offering kintsugi repair services and kintsugi workshops (available in English too!).
Each of our students is asked to bring chipped, cracked or broken items to work on during the workshops. However, our students sometimes do not have any broken objects to repair.
When people have nothing to repair, they often suggest breaking an object on purpose to repair it during our classes. It is something that, at Tsugu Tsugu, we do not recommend because it does not match with our vision of kintsugi. We feel that breaking objects on purpose is counterproductive and goes against the philosophy of kintsugi as an embellishing repair technique.
You may be wondering what our students should do then if they do not have any damaged object to restore. Well, that is where the donated objects come into play ! A large majority of the objects we receive as donations are used during our workshops and allow our students to hone their kintsugi skills by tackling a wide range of different types of repair projects.
Working Together Towards a More Sustainable Society!
If you too are looking to build a sustainable society where personal and material injuries can be celebrated and turned into strength, do not hesitate to check if you do not have damaged objects waiting to be repaired in your cupboards. If you are willing to donate some broken items you do not use anymore, please get in touch with us and take part in our Upcycling Project !
We value very much the support of all our donators and are always looking for new ways to collaborate. If you are a company or an individual owning a business, we would also be very pleased to promote your products and services in our workshop and on website ! We are always happy to collaborate with individuals and companies that share our commitment to sustainability and our passion for traditional Japanese craft
Who can join the Kintsugi Upcycle Project?
We accept donations from individuals, companies and organizations. The list of donators keeps getting longer every month.
Our donators are usually ceramists, potters, restaurant or cafe owners, shops selling kitchenware or just people passionate about ceramics.
How can you donate broken items to Tsugu Tsugu?
If you live close to our studio, you can directly bring us the items you wish to donate.
If you live far from our studio or if you have large quantities of items to donate, please contact us beforehand by email or by phone.
Depending on the situation, we will come and pick up the items, or ask you to ship them to our studio in Ebisu.
All items can be shipped to the following address:
Tokyo Kintsugi Workshop TSUGUTSUGU
Address: 1F akikito apt. 2-21-2 Ebisu,Shibuya-ku, 1500013 Tokyo, Japan
Opening hours: 10:00 – 18:00, everyday
Contact us by email or by phone !
Email: info@kintsugi-girl.com (English and Japanese are supported)
Tel: 03-6879-0940 (English is not supported, only Japanese)