Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 7.djvu/260

 Gowland, Mr. Kalischer, and Mr. Atkinson gave the following results:—

Another alloy peculiar to Japan and of at least equal importance with shakudo for artistic purposes, is shibuichi, a term literally signifying "one part in four;" that is to say, one part of silver by weight to three of copper. That, doubtless, was the original composition of the alloy. Indeed Japanese records state definitely that the ordinary variety of shibuichi contained 10 momme (5.8 grs. Troy) of copper to 2½ momme of silver. But, as a matter of fact, the shibuichi employed for sword-furniture and other artistic work was usually the kind known as sambo-gin, which consisted of one part of silver to two of copper. In the Sōken Kishō three varieties of shibuichi are enumerated,—the first containing one part (by weight) of silver to three of copper; the second, one part of silver to two of copper; and the third, six or seven parts of silver to ten of copper. Concerning the third variety the author says:—"This is the best quality of shibuichi. It was always used by Sōmin, Soyō, and other great masters as a ground metal. Soyō, however, employed a kind of shibuichi having a dark hue, obtained apparently by an admixture of shakudo, though the compounding of these two alloys presents serious technical difficulties, and it is not known how he overcame them.