A Naoe-Shizu Katana (直江志津)

This is an imposing blade – the real thing. What began life as an *ôdachi* of perhaps 80cm or more has survived six and a half centuries in shortened form, and the passage of time has done nothing to diminish its authority. The *ô-kissaki* alone measures over 11.5cm, towering above the blade line in the manner that defines Nambokuchô grandeur. The *sugata* is everything the Naoe-Shizu school is known for: wide *mihaba*, dramatic tip, bold posture. Nagayama Kokan was not exaggerating when he wrote that these qualities lend themselves to a grand appearance.

The steel rewards close study. The *jihada* is a vivid mixture of *itame*, *mokume* and *nagare-hada*, animated throughout by deep rivers of *chikei* and generous *ji-nie*. The *hamon* runs in a gently undulating *notare* base that churns with *gunome*, *togari-gunome*, *ko-nie*, *tobiyaki*, *yô*, *sunagashi* and *kinsuji* – classic Naoe-Shizu energy, grounded in the Mino tradition’s hallmark *togari*. The NBTHK Jûyô judging panel noted the blade’s healthy *jiba* as central to its attribution. Designated at the 53rd session in 1997, the certificate was subsequently lost; the NBTHK conducted a fresh in-person examination in 2022 and issued a *shômeisho* confirming authenticity.

The koshirae is a statement piece in its own right. The *kuro-ro-nuri* lacquered scabbard is fitted with a spectacular iron *tsuba* bearing gold-inlaid *kamon* from numerous noble families – *kuyô-mon*, *botan*, *hôô*, *kiku*, *ageha-chô* and more – certified to a *tachi* metalsmith of the mid-Edo period. The *fuchi-kashira* continue the family crest theme with *kuyô-mon* and ivy rendered in gold. *Menuki* display the *kuyô-mon* of the Hosokawa daimyô clan. The *tsuba* was signed by the metalsmith Naoyoshi. Completing the ensemble: a gold-wrapped *habaki* with diagonal file marks and a shirasaya in fine *ho* wood.