Mokume-gane vs Shibori
木目金 / 絞り染め
Mokume-gane comes from Vessel and Craft Techniques and Shibori from Textile Traditions. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.
Mokume-gane
Mokume-gane is a Japanese metalworking process that bonds layers of different metals into one billet, then cuts and rolls it so the surface takes on a pattern like wood grain. The figure is a cross section of the stack rather than a decoration laid on top, so filing or polishing cannot remove it. It began as a way of decorating sword fittings.
Shibori
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A technique in which cloth is stitched, bound or clamped between boards before dyeing, so that only the parts under pressure stay white. The result is left to the strength of the craftsman's hands and the movement of the cloth, and no two pieces come out alike even from the same pattern.
| Mokume-gane | Shibori | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 17th century– | 8th century– |
| Family | Vessel and Craft Techniques | Textile Traditions |
| Kind | Technique | Technique |
| Cues | The stripes close into rings and whorls that read like the end grain of a log / Reddish copper, white silver and darkened layers sit directly against one another / No two pieces from the same workshop carry the same figure, even at the same shape / The stripes do not stop at the edge; they continue through the thickness of the sheet | The bled white left by binding / Regular grain from stitch resist / Geometric ground patterns from board clamping / A texture that keeps the relief of the cloth |
| Best used for | When a ring or a vessel should be patterned by the colour of the metals themselves, with no plating and no inlay · When a small production run needs every piece to carry a different figure | Making a surface that differs piece by piece from the same pattern · Using a texture that records the pressure of the hand on purpose |
| Type | Keep any stamp to a single small mark. Place it clear of the strongest stripes and cut its lines finer than the grain. | Choose heavier letterforms that survive the unevenness of handwork. |
| Composition | The pattern is the subject, so keep the form plain. Let the grain follow the outline of the object and close the edge with one narrow band left blank. | Mix intended irregularity into a regular repeat. |
| Material | Stack sheets of metals that differ in colour, such as copper, silver and shakudo, and bond them into a single billet under heat and pressure. Gouge into the face to expose lower layers, roll the billet flat, then raise it into shape. Finish by polishing and colouring so the layers separate. | Resist the dye by binding and pressure, and allow the dye to bleed. |
| Caution | Thin the layers too far while chasing a particular figure and one cut goes straight through, breaking the pattern. | Reproducing the pattern in print makes it another thing entirely. The bleed and the unevenness are the record of the technique. |