Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Niō Kiyozane of the Niō school of Suō, around the Eikyō era, with a signed ubu tang and designated Jūyō Tōken at the 24th NBTHK session.
Katana by Niō Kiyozane, a smith of the Niō school of Suō province, active around the Eikyō era (1429–1441), in the middle Muromachi period. Shinogi-zukuri blade with iori-mune and chū-kissaki, 70.5 cm nagasa and 2.0 cm sori, with a motohaba of 3.1 cm and a sakihaba of 2.2 cm. According to the paper and the original seller, the jigane is ko-itame with ji-nie and some ō-hada; the hamon is hirosuguha-chō with ko-gunome, ko-ashi, yō, ko-nie, sunagashi and nie-suji; the bōshi runs straight and turns back in a slightly pointed ko-maru. The tang is ubu, with an iriyamagata tip and a single mekugi-ana, as the photographs confirm; on the omote, close to the mune, it bears the signature 二王清實作 (Niō Kiyozane saku). It was designated Jūyō Tōken at the 24th NBTHK session on 10 July 1976; the photographs show the origami and the paper's description, which regards it as a representative work of the school in its time. The original seller states it comes in shirasaya, not shown in the photographs, and cites it in the Tōkō Taikan. There is no koshirae.
Strong points
- NBTHK Jūyō Tōken (24th session, 1976), with the origami photographed
- Ubu tang signed 二王清實作 (Niō Kiyozane saku)
- Hirosuguha characteristic of the Niō school, according to the paper
- Blade of the Eikyō era (1429–1441), middle Muromachi period
Points to bear in mind
- No koshirae: the original seller states it comes in shirasaya, which is not shown in the photographs
- The listing does not state the condition of the blade or when it was polished
Score
156.6 pointscurrent max. 255
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Certificate
+140
NBTHK Jūyō paper +140
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Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+10
70.5 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
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Price
−3.4
Price: the more affordable, the more points −3.4
The score adds and subtracts points for each feature of the piece and has no ceiling: the highest in the catalogue today is 255. It is computed from the record, not from an opinion. The mounting starts from what is known of its period, adds what vouches for it (its own NBTHK paper, a signed fitting, a crest) and subtracts what has been restored (saya, ito, same, habaki or sageo).
Measurements
- Nagasa
- 70.5 cm
- Sori
- 2 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Jūyō
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Niō Kiyozane
- Period
- Kotō (up to 1596)
- Dating
- Eikyō era (1429–1441)
- Province
- Suo
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,1 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,2 cm