The myriad of Japanese alloys

Historically the Japanese have been masters of metalwork, most likely techniques brought over from China and Korea. Warfare has played an integral part in creating the Japanese culture as we know it today. For many centuries the Japanese were at almost constant war between provinces and the need for weapons and armour was great. Early examples of swords and armour were for function first and aesthetics second.

 In the 17th century, these long-term feuds between daimyo lords came to an end with Tokugawa Ieyasu (January 31, 1543 – June 1, 1616) seizing power in 1600. He went on to receive an appointment as shōgun in 1603, and abdicated from office in 1605, but remained in power until he died in 1616. The leadership and total control of Japan brought 250 years of peace but not an end to their love of war and weapons. Each province had a ruling daimyo (lord) and his samurai (warrior class) who were the wealthy elite of their time.

As time passed with little need for weapons and armour other than the Sankin-kotai Daimyo's annual march to Edo meant the decoration of these objects could become more elaborate. Metalworkers during the Edo period became extremely skilled, crafting elaborate mixed metal sword fittings using different copper alloys to accentuate the designs. The use of copper, bronze, and silver was common, but due to gold being so expensive other alloys were created such as shibuichi and shakudo.

Shibuichi means "one-fourth" in Japanese, and indicates the standard formulation of one part silver to three parts copper, though this may be varied considerably according to the desired effect.

Shakudo is a Japanese billon of gold and copper (typically 4–10% gold, 96–90% copper), one of the irogane class of coloured metals, which can be treated to develop a black, or sometimes indigo, patina, resembling lacquer.

In 1868 Tokugawa Yoshinobu was forced to end his position as shogun and the ruling of japan went to Prince Mutsuhito who became the Emperor of great Japan. Soon after the daimyo and samurai lost their positions of power and wealth. The metal craftsmen who created weapons and armour for them for so many years had lost their means of income overnight. With Japan needing to develop technologically found that in the export of art to the west lay a great opportunity. Soon the metalworkers found they went from creating weapons and armour to vases, plates, boxes, and ornaments for wealthy westerners. The level of craftsmanship seen in these items they created during the Meiji period is likely never to be seen again.