Real Tanto signed by Kiyonaga with NTHK paper
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Specifications
24.5 cm
About the maker
Nio Kiyonaga清長
Niō Kiyonaga belongs to the Niō group of Suō Province, a lineage whose de facto founder was Kiyotsuna, with the earliest extant work being a *tachi* dated Bun'ei 2 (1265). The school continued from the Kamakura period through the Nanbokuchō era and into the Muromachi period, with later generations extending into the *shintō* age. Suō Province held many estates belonging to Tōdai-ji, and it is considered that the strongly Yamato-like character of the Niō group's work derives from exchanges with Yamato, the home province of that tradition. Kiyonaga is transmitted in sword signature compendia as an early Muromachi smith active around the Ōei era (1394–1428), and his works are representative of the later Niō line, sometimes referred to as *sue-Niō*. Kiyonaga's forging is characteristically *ko-itame-hada* mixed with *nagare-masame*, packed closely and sometimes carrying a slightly whitish tone. Fine *ji-nie* adheres, and toward the *mune* a standing *shirake-utsuri* appears — a distinctive hallmark of the Niō group. His *hamon* favors a narrow *suguha* tendency, at times mixed with *ko-gunome* or carrying a faint, shallow *notare* element. Along the *habuchi*, activities such as *hotsure*, *uchi-noke*, and *kuichigai-ba* may be observed, with *ko-ashi* entering and *ko-nie* adhering to form a bright and clear *nioiguchi*. His *bōshi* tends toward *ko-maru* with *hakikake*. On tantō, Kiyonaga is known for relief carvings of Niō guardian figures within *hitsu* recesses — an iconographic signature consistent with the school's name. Signed works by Kiyonaga are uncommon but constitute valuable material for the study of this provincial school. His output demonstrates the coexistence of the Yamato temperament intrinsic to the Niō lineage with a soft, *urumi*-like quality in the *hamon* that is recognized as a distinctive trait of the group. As a representative craftsman of the later Niō tradition active at the transition from the Nanbokuchō into the early Muromachi period, his work provides essential evidence for understanding the continuation and regional character of swordsmithing in Suō Province.
