Lexvdjagt

@Rawa it was unfortunately sold to someone else before he could buy it.

SOLD

Yes, it is not the same Smith, I was trying to point out there are other Nio Smiths that signed Boshi Ju Nio kiyo.... I am certainly not trying to connect the two Smiths to each other. Greetings, Lex

The Kanji on the paper is 防州住二王清春 for the smith, which I could not find in my usual references. There is a smith who signed Kiyonaga who is from the same prefecture: https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/KIY299. But there were many smiths who signed Nio in the late Muromachi period, as this blade does have NBTHK hozon, then the signature is verified. I think it is simply a case of a period with many different signatures and smiths, just like this Taira katana I have sold: Similarly, this smith couldn't be found either in standard reference books for the period. The blade is signed and has NBTHK hozon papers, and is dated. Healthy and ubu. I would recommend it, of course. I don't think its odd that it has not sold yet, taking into account that it is quite a large purchase and that it has only been listed for a few days. Greetings, Lex

I have had a Chiyozuru katana in the past that had some minor scratches in the same way as well but more prominent (I am certain it was used for cutting something, likely by a westerner). Also some slight damage on the Hamon and cutting edge which doesn’t seem to be the case with this sword. It could have been used or iaido in Japan which is more common than you’d think. A lot of sellers still sell blades from the Muromachi period as Iaido blades.

Can we see a picture of the blade? Preferably of the Hada? Greetings, Lex

Hello Adam, These areas are some scratches that are visible on the blade when photographing it in my current method. I do not observe them in hand. The blade has not been polished for a while, so some scratches like these are normal. and thank you @Marius for the feedback! I am currently still figuring the photographing part out. The PDF that is available on the forum was very helpful, but I will simply need to put some more time into making a dedicated setup. I would ideally like to be able to make photographs of Japanese dealer level. Thank you for your input! greetings, Lex

Dear NMB, I am offering this Nio Kiyoharu katana for sale with NBTHK papers. Katana Nio Kiyoharu, Dated August, 2nd Year of Tenshō (1574) Blade Length: 71.5 cm (approx. 2 shaku 3 sun 6 bu minus) Curvature (Sori): 1.8 cm Width at Base (Moto-haba): 3.20 cm Width at Tip (Saki-haba): 1.90 cm Thickness at Base (Moto-kasane): 0.75 cm Thickness at Tip (Saki-kasane): 0.48 cm Mekugi-ana (peg holes): 1 Description: Shinogi-zukuri, with a high shinogi and low iori-mune. It has a medium-length kissaki. The kitae is nicely formed ko-itame mixed with itame and some masame hada, with strong flowing patterns in places and a clearly visible jigane. The hamon (temper line) is suguha-chō, with small nie and some nice hataraki. The boshi has a slight notare style and is covered with nie. The nakago is ubu. It comes with a large copper habaki plated with gold. Has a shirasaya and a sword bag. SOLD Free shipping inside EU Shipping outside EU available for a small additional cost (€20–40) Shipped with UPS Express (or different courier), fully insured to full value Located in the Netherlands – pickup possible Any questions are always welcome! There will be a donation made to NMB if the blade is sold through NMB.

I have used my EORI number (from my VAT-registered company) to register with the EU. I will hear back about this registration next week. Greetings, Lex

The actual implementation of the legislation according to my country (the Netherlands) simply generalised that everything over 250 years old regardless of value will need to have import documents that need to be approved through the European system.

Dear NMB, I wanted to make a dedicated post regarding the new EU regulation that went into effect today, the 28th of June 2025, and affects any antique object older than 250 years. In short, the legislation will require all objects over 250 years old to have an import license approved before the object is imported *EDIT* ONLY NEEDED FOR OBJECTS EXCEEDING 18.000 EURO IN VALUE. This can only be done if you have an EORI number, which is only given to VAT-registered businesses, as far as I know. I have personally submitted a request to have my business registered under this system and will keep you updated. The current issue is that the regulation will likely require you to have official government documentation indicating the object is not stolen and can be exported legally into the EU. I believe this type of documentation already exists for Japanese swords. A dealer will provide you with the full statement of the Japanese Cultural Board on any sword you want to export personally by plane. This documentation, however, is taken from the exporter upon approval by police and customs. The description of the goods that fall under the legislation can be found in the document listed below in the ANNEX: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/880/oj/eng And the implementation of this legislation can be found in Article 8 of 2021/1079: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2021/1079/oj/eng I think it is important to track the actual implementation of this legislation, to know if this will actually be a risk for Nihonto trade to the EU. To me, the legislation seems hard to implement or to check. Greetings, Lex van der Jagt

You will need to have a proper case for the koshirae in your checked luggage. I use a hard plastic long weapons case with foam padding to protect the swords I transport out of Japan. You will need to take the measurements of the case into account for the airline's checked baggage rules. The case will likely be classified as oversized luggage as it is too long for the normal conveyor belt they use for luggage. You will need to bring it as oversized luggage when you check it in. This can be more expensive depending on the airline. I suggest either arranging to buy such a case in Japan or bringing it with you on your way to Japan, as they can be quite affordable. Greetings, Lex van der Jagt

I know some gendaito/gunto collectors that display their items for sale at the meet-ups. Would it have to be traditionally made?

Hallo Jelle, I would also like to point out that it would be beneficial if you joined De Nederlandse Token vereniging (Dutch Token Society). We offer 4 yearly meetups, with lectures and the possibility to sell or trade blades. You can always join one meeting to see if it would fit your taste. You might be able to find something there that fits your needs. http://www.to-ken.nl/ Greetings, Lex

Lowering price to 1250 euros

Lowering price to 1250 euros

I bid 150 USD

I have an Osafune Sukesada katana signed and dated with NBTHK hozon papers. But it will be slightly more than your budget. Is the 2000 euros a firm max amount?

130 from me

I bid 90$ it’s a stunning tsuba as well! Thank you @Marius for hosting this auction.

These types of NBTHK papers feature a daisho pair of swords on the certificate. This is still done with modern papers, but exceedingly rare. example of Noatane Daisho with Tokubetsu Hozon:

This sword was sold by a known seller that mainly sells swords on eBay. But also some on his own website. I have had experience with this seller before. I would say that the blades he sells without NBTHK papers are most likely gimei if they mention a popular smith. EDIT: I found the original sale listing, and I can confirm that you can assume it is gimei, the seller would not have started an eBay auction at 10$ for a sword that carries such a big name if he even had the slightest doubt that the signature could be legitimate. This seller often sells other swords like Tadayoshi’s without any papers. This blade still is quite good! I would say it is definitely muromachi, I would say mid to late muromachi. But that is just my opinion.

Hello Garner, Welcome to the forum and thank you for sharing this blade with us. Some additional images would be great, particularly showing the overall shape of the blade, and some close ups of the hamachi would be great as well. I am overall quite skeptical of any story that is associated with a blade that currently has no paperwork to back the story up. I would not assume anything based on the story you were told about the blade. These types of stories are often included as a type of sales talk to sell a blade for more than it is worth in Japan. I do not think this blade is from the Kamakura period based on the images I have seen. I do get the indication that the blade could be gimei (based on the weakness of the signature combined with the mismatched registration papers). The blade was either shortened and had this mei added later, or is ubu/close to ubu with this signature. The koshirae seems to be a simple case of having this blade fitted to an already existing koshirae in modern times. This is done extremely often to sell blades to foreigners. I cannot speak to the age or type of fittings, as I do not believe I have the experience in that field. I believe you have a wakizashi from the Mid-late muromachi period based on the images I have seen. Which school or smith is very hard to judge based on the images. This is still an authentic Nihonto, and deserved the same attention. So take good care of it. And enjoy it! Greetings, Lex

Hello Thomas, Welcome to the forum. I will not speak to the authenticity of the signature of the blade, as my personal interest is in early koto blades. I will also only comment on the blade itself as I personally do not have much experience with fittings. I have found the for sale listing online of this particular blade, and personally would advise against purchasing it. This seller sells many Gimei blades or blades with untrustworthy papers. I would personally refrain from purchasing a blade like this without any papers. The seller states that having the blade papered would cost an additional 1500 USD, which is highly misleading and untrue. The blade has not been polished recently and has many scratches. The blade is overpriced in my opinion compared to the condition. You can easily get a beautiful blade at this price point from this forum, there are many stunning blades with papers in the for sale section (many with beautiful fittings as well). any questions are welcomed! Greetings, Lex

This is, unfortunately, a fake sword, likely a cheap Chinese fake. Greetings, Lex