Takehito Kobayashi is a Kintsugi expert and artist, a pottery collector, owner of coffee shops alongside a tea and cake shop in Osaka. His father grand precious collection of various ceramic goods has originated his current career path. In the journey of practising Kintsugi and exhibiting pottery arts, Kobayashi has accidentally revived some common contemplation which seemed to be vanished from the modern life of Japanese.
Takehito Kobayashi is working Kintsugi. Photo: WAD Cafe
Japanese of the past used object with good care, if it were broken they would have figured a way to fix or found one who repaired. Latterly, people are introduced to single-use utensils, this practice somehow affects to the attitude they have for objects in their houses, they swiftly discard things when it is no longer viable. Only fancy restaurants invest on Kintsugi to repair their broken ceramic goods. The moment I started my career, I found that people paid more attention to their utensils/ living instruments, especially pottery, partly due to the economic bubbles at the time made fast consumption no longer suitable. That is why people come to me to fix stuffs rather than throwing them away.
WAD Café is the first shop in my project series, acquiring the thought of renting and fixing broken ceramics. WAD’s space is divided into two parts, one is for service and the other is for gallery. I use artisan pottery in tea ceremony to present to people the goods’ distinctive quality over time and memories brought with it. If they like, they might purchase. If the item is damaged during the time using, they can bring them back here so I can repair.
“The good things” mentioned here, to me, is simply my desire to recommend the community Japanese cultural values and the people who have been preserving these preciousnesses despite the change of life.
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Text: My Nguyễn
Photo: Takehito Kobayashi
