This is a signed katana by Nio Naokiyo, 2nd generation, active as a retainer smith for the Choshu domain in Nagato Province during the late Edo period. Dated Genji 2 (1865), it features a shallow sori, well-balanced moto-saki width, and a powerful boshi. The jigane is finely forged ko-itame hada with abundant ji-nie, reminiscent of Hizen's konuka hada, and the hamon is a bright, clear sujuba-style gunome midare with frequent ashi and fine sunagashi.
Certificate reading — 銘 長州住二王直清作 元治二年二月日
NihontoWatchmei · Nio · Kaei (1848-1854) · nagasa 72.66cm · sori 1.17cm
Nagato · around 1848-1854
Tōken Taikan top 91%
1 piece on the market now
For two and a half centuries of peace the sword was the warrior’s legal badge rather than his weapon. Each great city developed its own manner, Edo’s tested strength against Ōsaka’s polished brilliance, until demand thinned in the era’s last decades.
A Hozon-certified blade judged to show notably superior workmanship and a better state of preservation. The bar is higher: re-tempered blades and most unsigned Muromachi/Edo works are excluded.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteReturns accepted within 3 days of delivery for defective items or significant discrepancies; customer bears return shipping and bank fees.
This is a signed katana by Nio Naokiyo, 2nd generation, active as a retainer smith for the Choshu domain in Nagato Province during the late Edo period. Dated Genji 2 (1865), it features a shallow sori, well-balanced moto-saki width, and a powerful boshi. The jigane is finely forged ko-itame hada with abundant ji-nie, reminiscent of Hizen's konuka hada, and the hamon is a bright, clear sujuba-style gunome midare with frequent ashi and fine sunagashi.
Certificate reading — 銘 長州住二王直清作 元治二年二月日
NihontoWatchmei · Nio · Kaei (1848-1854) · nagasa 72.66cm · sori 1.17cm
Nagato · around 1848-1854
Tōken Taikan top 91%
1 piece on the market now
For two and a half centuries of peace the sword was the warrior’s legal badge rather than his weapon. Each great city developed its own manner, Edo’s tested strength against Ōsaka’s polished brilliance, until demand thinned in the era’s last decades.
A Hozon-certified blade judged to show notably superior workmanship and a better state of preservation. The bar is higher: re-tempered blades and most unsigned Muromachi/Edo works are excluded.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteReturns accepted within 3 days of delivery for defective items or significant discrepancies; customer bears return shipping and bank fees.
