Mokume-Gane (from non-ferrous metals)
literally translates to mean wood grained metal.

A bit of history

The history of these wood grained metals started a long time ago with the search for a more suitable metal for swords. Europeans first found swords made of precious steel in Damascus, the trade centre during the middle ages (today capital of Syria). The crusaders misleadingly called it Damascene-steel. This material attracted attention through its phenomenal stability and tension as well as through its magnificent flamed wavy pattern. Cassiodor, a Roman scientist in the 6th century, described these weapons as ".swords forged by volcano.not the work of a mortal human being, but the work of gods." The production of flamed patterned steel blades by fire welding seems to have developed in several regions of Europe and Asia irrespectively. Even the old Nordic legends mention laminated blades whose mystical names described the individual patterns. One also discovered this type of swords at archaeological excavations in Roman places during the 2nd century. This art of forging reached its top in the Kris - the swung (and occasionally poisoned) Malaysian dagger of the 13th century. Fire welded steel originated by fusing sandwich like packages of steel and soft iron. After folding it several times, re-forging it and eventually etching one could clearly recognise visible patterns. Laminated crude steel was first found in China in the 1st century b. c. The Japanese, whose art of forging was inaccessible, as their samurai swords proved, developed the method of laminating steel to perfection and called it Mokume-Gane. This sophisticated method was based on folding the iron and augmenting it with carbon during the welding process.

In the literature the armourer Denbei Shoami (1651 - 1728) living in Akita (Japan) is mentioned. He produced exceptional works made of steel as well as elaborate ornamentations, inlays and engravings in scabbards and blades. One knows that Shoami was inspired by traditional Chinese varnishing techniques with lined patterns (= Guri) where the patterns were engraved from thick plies of different coloured layers of lacquer. Also influenced by the Damascene-steel he discovered that nonferrous plates could be joined together causing patterns similar to the varnishing works. His oldest Mokume-Gane work can be seen in the Kizuka hilt; he used gold (Kin), silver (Gin), copper (Suaka) and Shakudo alloy. Many of the old samurai swords have Mokume works and hand protection and sword endings.

The reasons why this technique was so widely established in Japan are complex. There were profoundly developed skills in swordmaking as well as a large know-how in metallurgy. There was also an exceptionally high degree of education in the field of forging and a well functioning exchange of information (large schools from the 16th century onwards)in Japan.

Another premise was the existence and immediate availability of unique coloured alloys (Shakudo, Shibuishi, Kuromido). Many copper alloys originated due to the lack of precious metal and its price.

Outside of Japan no further historical works of this technique with its typical patterns are known.

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