This is an o-suriage mumei katana attributed to Naoe Shizu, active in Mino province during the Nanbokucho period (Enbun era, 1356-1361). It features a powerful sugata with wide moto-haba and saki-haba, and bo-hi horimono. The jigane is a vibrant itame mixed with mokume, showing thick ji-kei and bright ji-nie, while the hamon is a gentle notare mixed with ko-gunome and active nie.
suriage-mumei · Nanbokucho · nagasa 69.39cm · sori 1.51cm










Mino-den · Mino
17 pieces on the market now
Within the province of Mino, in the decades of the Nanbokucho period, a body of smiths gathered at Naoe carrying forward the manner of Shizu Saburo Kaneuji, and from that locality they took the name Naoe Shizu. Kaneuji, originally a member of the Yamato Tegai group who studied under Masamune of Sagami and is counted among the Ten Disciples of Masamune (Masamune jittetsu), settled first at Shizu in Mino and established a flourishing school. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kanetomo兼友 | 1336-1340 | 11 |
| Kaneuji兼氏 | 1342-1345 | 3 |
| Kanetomo兼伴 | 1467-1469 | 0 |
| Kanenobu兼延 | 1390-1394 | 0 |
| Kanenobu兼延 | 1368-1375 | 0 |
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 siteIf, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.
This is an o-suriage mumei katana attributed to Naoe Shizu, active in Mino province during the Nanbokucho period (Enbun era, 1356-1361). It features a powerful sugata with wide moto-haba and saki-haba, and bo-hi horimono. The jigane is a vibrant itame mixed with mokume, showing thick ji-kei and bright ji-nie, while the hamon is a gentle notare mixed with ko-gunome and active nie.
suriage-mumei · Nanbokucho · nagasa 69.39cm · sori 1.51cm










Mino-den · Mino
17 pieces on the market now
Within the province of Mino, in the decades of the Nanbokucho period, a body of smiths gathered at Naoe carrying forward the manner of Shizu Saburo Kaneuji, and from that locality they took the name Naoe Shizu. Kaneuji, originally a member of the Yamato Tegai group who studied under Masamune of Sagami and is counted among the Ten Disciples of Masamune (Masamune jittetsu), settled first at Shizu in Mino and established a flourishing school. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kanetomo兼友 | 1336-1340 | 11 |
| Kaneuji兼氏 | 1342-1345 | 3 |
| Kanetomo兼伴 | 1467-1469 | 0 |
| Kanenobu兼延 | 1390-1394 | 0 |
| Kanenobu兼延 | 1368-1375 | 0 |
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 siteIf, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.