Cracks in ancient Japanese pottery -- including the occasional museum piece -- are often repaired with metallic "filling". (The cracks are first filled with resin and then lacquered and coated with silver or gold.) This work is done by a specialist, who carefully considers the colours and feeling of a piece before selecting the appropriate filling medium.
Accustomed to a culture where repairs aim to be invisible, I was somewhat taken aback by this decorative method that highlights the "imperfections". A friend who collects pottery explained that the piece becomes a different work of art after it is repaired and that the golden veins create a new sort of beauty.
Kate T Williamson
A Year in Japan
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