Shakudō

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Shakudō sheet

Shakudō ( Japanese 赤銅 , dt. " Red copper") is a traditional Japanese metal alloy that has been used for ornaments on swords (see also: Tantō , Wakizashi , Katana ) or jewelry since the 12th century .

The alloy usually consists of copper with 2-7% gold . Other metals are rarely added in small amounts <1%. The recipe was kept top secret for centuries and only reached Europe from the 17th century. Shakudō is characterized by its dark brown to black-violet color, which is only achieved by etching the metal surface in a hot salt solution. The designation red copper, despite the dark brown almost black patina , is explained by the color designation 赤銅 色, i.e. shakudōiro, with the meanings bronze-colored and black-brown. Due to its intense and different color, Shakudō is a frequently used alloy in the Japanese Mokume-Gane forging technique. The traditional use in the production / decoration of the tsuba of the Japanese katana sword was already discussed in the western world by Jacoby (1905) and Joly (1912) at the beginning of the 20th century.

Copper-gold components and coloring

  • 素 銅, copper (CU), Cu 100%, red color
  • 一 分 挿 し, Ichibusashi composition, 99% CU + 1% AU, pure black
  • 三分 挿 し, Sanbusashi composition, 97% CU + 3% AU, bluish-black color
  • 五分 挿 し, Gobusashi composition, 95% CU + 5% AU, bluish-black color. The Japanese Wikipedia article explains the coloring as similar to the wet feathers of a crow.
  • 八分 挿 し, Hachibusashi composition, 92% CU + 8% AU, tolerance values ​​of 90–93% CU and thus 7–10% AU apply, but the name clearly refers to an 8-part product with 八 [: hachi] Gold content, black-violet color.

literature

  • Jacoby, Gustav, Nagaya, Shigena: The sword ornaments of the province of Higo, Hamburg 1905, 17.
  • Joly, Henri Louis: Japanese Sword Fittings, a descriptive catalog of the collection of GH Naunton Esq., London 1912, 51.
  • Mitrut, Judith: The iconographic focus of the tsuba collection in the MAK, Vienna 2013, 19 ea; online PDF [5.7.2020].
  • Sesko, Markus: Handbook: Of Sword Fittings Related Terms, Norderstedt 2011, 41.
  • Sesko, Markus: Encyclopedia of Japanese Swords (Paperback), Raleigh 2014, 387.

Web links