Ashikaga Yoshimasa

Yoshimasa had little interest in governing. He left much of the work of running the country to others. Then a fight over who would succeed him helped start the Ōnin War (1467–1477). This ten-year conflict burned much of Kyoto to the ground. Tired of politics, Yoshimasa stepped back from power and poured himself into art. He built the Silver Pavilion, Ginkaku-ji, as a quiet retreat. Around him he gathered masters of tea, garden design, painting and flower arranging. Today their refined, understated style goes by the name of Higashiyama culture, after the hills where Yoshimasa lived.

A famous story links Yoshimasa to kintsugi, the art of mending broken pottery with gold. A tea bowl he treasured cracked, so he sent it to China for repair. It came back held together with ugly metal staples. He was so unhappy that Japanese craftsmen looked for a more beautiful way to mend it. They joined the pieces with lacquer and gold, so that the crack became the loveliest part of the bowl. This answer grew into kintsugi. The tale may be more legend than fact. But it suits the man, someone who turned a broken thing into something better.