Mokumegane - Wood Grain Technique

Today's Japanese art is called mokumegane. Mokumegane is a metalworking technique of folding together different metals repeatedly to achieve a wood grain-like texture. It was originally something that happened during the process of forging swords, but it has been utilized and altered by some to create intricate patterns. Modern artists still practice mokumegane techniques, often to create high-quality, fashionable accessories, such as these gorgeously elegant pieces by David Greene.

However! You don't have to have a forge and fancy metals to use this technique. There are several tutorials online that utilize polymer clay to create a similar look. You can do so many things with it, like adding gold leaf between layers for a more elegant look! A tutorial for that is here. I've been meaning to try it for a while!

Word Fun~

The word "mokumegane" is constructed from three kanji characters (木目金).

木 - (もく, Moku) - Wood

目 - (め, Meh) - Eye/Look
金 - (かね/がね, Kaneh/Ganeh) - Metal
(H added to the end of words for proper pronunciation)
Kaneh is the pronunciation which means metal, when used alone. When at the end, it is pronounced ganeh. I won't go deeper than that, I don't want to run you off!

So, a metal which looks like wood.. I just love how (some) Japanese words are constructed!