Mokume Gane a reinvention

Japan has a unique range of traditional metalcraft processes that are still practiced today. Two of these surviving processes have been studied extensively with the aim of developing industrial applications, the irogane alloy and niiro patination process, and the laminated decorative metalwork process known as “mokume gane” or wood-grain metal. In particular, mokume gane has made the crossover from craft process to industrial process. This paper examines the historical background and contemporary development of the mokume gane process.