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Niiro
, also known as , , or , is an historically Japanese patination process, responsible for the colouration of copper and certain of its alloys, resulting in the ''irogane'' class of craft metals, including '' shakudo'',Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemannm 1993: La Niece and Craddock, eds, Metal Plating and Patination: cultural, technical and historical developments - Chap. 7, Murakami, Ryu, "Japanese Traditional Alloys" '' shibuichi'' and '' kuromido''. It is now practiced in a number of countries, primarily for the making of jewellery and decorative sword fittings, but also for material for hollowware and sculpture. Importantly, the same process operates differently on different metals so that a piece with multiple components can be treated in one patination session, developing a range of colours. Etymology All forms of the name refer to the nature of the patination process in Japanese, as this was an exclusively Japanese technique. ''Ni-iro'' refers to boiling or broiling, and colo ...
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Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. The Japanese archipelago consists of four major islands—Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu—and List of islands of Japan, thousands of smaller islands, covering . Japan has a population of over 123 million as of 2025, making it the List of countries and dependencies by population, eleventh-most populous country. The capital of Japan and List of cities in Japan, its largest city is Tokyo; the Greater Tokyo Area is the List of largest cities, largest metropolitan area in the world, with more than 37 million inhabitants as of 2024. Japan is divided into 47 Prefectures of Japan, administrative prefectures and List of regions of Japan, eight traditional regions. About three-quarters of Geography of Japan, the countr ...
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Patina
Patina ( or ) is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, brass, bronze, and similar metals and metal alloys ( tarnish produced by oxidation or other chemical processes), or certain stones and wooden furniture (sheen produced by age, wear, and polishing), or any similar acquired change of a surface through age and exposure. Additionally, the term is used to describe the aging of high-quality leather. The patinas on leather goods are unique to the type of leather, frequency of use, and exposure. Patinas can provide a protective covering to materials that would otherwise be damaged by corrosion or weathering. They may also be aesthetically appealing. Usage On metal, patina is a coating of various chemical compounds such as oxides, carbonates, sulfides, or sulfates formed on the surface during exposure to atmospheric elements (oxygen, rain, acid rain, carbon dioxide, sulfur-bearing compounds). Patina also refers to accumulated changes in surface texture and ...
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Irogane
''Irogane'' (色金 "coloured metals")Vienna, Bohlau Verlag, 2009: Griesser-Stermscheg & Krist, eds., Metallkonservierung, Metallrestaurierung: Geschichte, Methode, Praxis is the term for a set of Japanese metals – forms of copper (with natural impurities), and copper alloys – treated in '' niiro'' patination processes,London, UK, 1988: International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, Studies in Conservation – The Conservation of Far Eastern Art (Kyoto Congress 1988 Preprints), Mills ''et al''., eds., p. 133-136: Murakami et al, "Characterization of the black surface layer on a copper alloy coloured by traditional Japanese surface treatment" – "Irogane is the general term for the alloys coloured ..." traditionally used in sword-making, catches for sliding doors, and luxury highlights on larger objects, and in modern times, in jewellery. The alloys contain two to five metals. Some scholars believe that methods similar to those involved in iro ...
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Shibuichi
is a historically Japanese copper alloy, a member of the '' irogane'' class, which is patinated into a range of subtle greys and muted shades of blue, green, and brown, through the use of '' niiro'' processes, involving the '' rokushō'' compound. Naming ''Shibuichi'' means "one-fourth" in Japanese, and indicates the standard formulation of one part silver to three parts copper, though this may vary considerably according to the desired effect. Several major variants of the alloy have specific names, as detailed below. In addition, the metal in general, and especially the paler shades, may be named ''rogin''. Composition Aside from the basic 25% silver to 75% copper mix, combinations as divergent as 5% silver to 95% copper are also marketed as "shibuichi".Art Jewelry Magazine, March, 2010. A wide range of colours can be achieved using the whole range of alloy compositions, even above 50% silver, e.g. 90% copper and 10% silver for a dark grey and down to 70% copper and 30% sil ...
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Kuromido
''Kuromido'' (Japanese: 黒味銅) is an historically Japanese copper alloy, typically of 99% copper and 1% metallic arsenic,Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemannm 1993: La Niece and Craddock, eds, Metal Plating and Patination: cultural, technical and historical developments - Chap. 7, Murakami, Ryu, "Japanese Traditional Alloys" one of the class of irogane metals. It is used in the production of other alloys, and in decorative fittings, as well as in mokume-gane processes. See also * ''Shakudō'' * ''Shibuichi'' * Corinthian bronze and ''hepatizon'' (Black bronze) * ''Electrum'' * ''Orichalcum'' * ''Panchaloha'' * ''Tumbaga ''Tumbaga'' is the name given by Spanish Conquistadors for a non-specific alloy of gold and copper, and metals composed of these elements. Pieces made of tumbaga were widely found in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica in North America and South America. ...'' External sources * References Irogane Copper alloys Arsenic {{alloy-stub ...
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Rokushō
is a traditional Japanese chemical compound used in the ''niiro'' process for artificially inducing patination in decorative non-ferrous metals, especially several copper alloys, with the results being metals of the ''irogane'' class. It is most commonly translated as malachite; in art, ''rokushō'' was the most widely used green pigment. These "colour metals", virtually unknown outside Japan until the late 19th century, have achieved some popularity in craft circles in other parts of the world since then. Usage ''Rokushō'' is used to treat a number of metals, including raw natural copper, which holds impurities, purified copper, and copper alloy mixes with two to five metals, to produce ''irogane'' metals, including: ''shakudō'', an alloy of copper and gold, which becomes black to dark blue-violet; '' shibuichi'', an alloy of fine silver and copper (in a higher percentage than sterling), which turns grey to misty aquamarine or other shades of blue to green; '' kuromido'' ...
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Cóilín Ó Dubhghaill
Cóilín Ó Dubhghaill is an Irish artist and academic, crafting as a silversmith and also in copper and Japanese-inspired copper alloys, gold and other metals. He lived in Japan and studied Japanese metal crafts for seven years in the national arts university. His art is held in a range of national and other museums and galleries, and has been widely shown. His research work bridges art and materials science, and he is co-inventor of a new hybrid metal, mikana. Early life Ó Dubhghaill was born in Dublin, Ireland, in June 1974, the youngest of three children of two primary school teachers, and educated in Knocklyon, a suburb within County Dublin. Education and career Academic career After completing the Irish Leaving Certificate in 1991, Ó Dubhghaill began craft studies at Grennan Mill Craft School, Thomastown, a joint project of Grennan College and the then Kilkenny VEC. He continued from 1992-1996 at Edinburgh College of Art, then associated with Heriot-Watt University, ...
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Daikon Radish
Daikon 大根 (だいこん) or mooli, (مولی) '' Raphanus sativus'' var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia, daikon is harvested and consumed throughout the region, as well as in South Asia, and is available internationally. In some locations, daikon is planted for its ability to break up compacted soils and recover nutrients and is not harvested. Names In culinary contexts, ''daikon'' () or are the most common names in all forms of English. Historical ties to South Asia permit ''mooli'' () as a general synonym in English. The generic terms white radish, winter radish, Oriental radish, long white radish, and other terms are also used. Other synonyms usually vary by region or describe regional varieties of the vegetable. When it is necessary to distinguish the usual Japanese form from others, it is sometimes known as Japanese radish.Robe ...
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Tokyo University Of The Arts
or is a school of art and music in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained artists in the fields of painting, sculpture, crafts, inter-media, sound, music composition, traditional instruments, art curation and global arts. History Under the establishment of the National School Establishment Law, the university was formed in 1949 by the merger of the and the , both founded in 1887. The former Tokyo Fine Arts School was then restructured as the Faculty of Fine Arts under the university. Originally male-only, the school began to admit women in 1946. The graduate school opened in 1963, and began offering doctoral degrees in 1977. The doctoral degree in fine art practice initiated in the 1980s was one of the earliest programs to do so globally. After the abolition of the National School Establishment Law and the formation of the National University Corporations on April 1, ...
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