Japanese Tanto by the contemporary smith Shinano-jū Kiyonao (清直), signed "Kiyonao" and dated summer of Heisei 28 (2016) — modern (gendaitō) — a refined hira-zukuri blade with goma-bashi on the omote and a bō-hi on the ura, in shirasaya

Signed-and-dated hira-zukuri tanto by Kiyonao of Shinshū, of the distinguished Miyairi school · exquisitely fine, tightly packed itame with clear ji-nie · a shallow notare with ko-gunome · goma-bashi (twin grooves) on the omote and a bō-hi on the ura · brand-new, as-made · with a gold habaki

A tanto in which the skill and spirit of the contemporary smith "Kiyonao" come to fruition. Its clean, beautiful hira-zukuri form is tightened by the carving on both faces — twin grooves (goma-bashi) on the front (omote) and a straight groove (bō-hi) on the back (ura) — captivating the collector with the refined beauty and dignity that only a modern art sword possesses.

Workmanship and condition

The jigane is an itame forged to the height of refinement — extremely finely and tightly packed — clothed in clear, fine ji-nie. The hamon is a shallow notare mixed with ko-gunome. As a brand-new work, fresh from the forge, it is in perfect, as-made condition, with no flaw or rust of any kind.

Form

A clean, refined hira-zukuri (flat-sided, ridgeless) tanto with crisp carving on both faces — goma-bashi (a pair of parallel grooves) on the omote and a single bō-hi (straight groove) on the ura — which tightens the whole figure. At a nagasa of 22.7 cm (about 7 sun 5 bu) with a straight, mu-sori profile and a single peg-hole (mekugi-ana), it holds an elegant, well-composed shape.

The smith — Shinano-jū Kiyonao

Shinano-jū Kiyonao (real name Matsukawa Takashi) entered, in 1972, the school of Miyairi Kiyomune — the younger brother of the Living National Treasure Miyairi Akihira — and legitimately inherited the high skill and aesthetic of the distinguished Miyairi line. His outstanding forging technique is highly esteemed: he took an Effort Prize at the New Swords Exhibition in Heisei 1 (1989) and an Excellence Prize in Heisei 10 (1998), and has since won many further Excellence and Effort Prizes, establishing a firm position in the modern sword world. He aims to make works that, like the famous surviving blades, will endure a thousand years into the future; his egoless, mushin ("no-mind") works give the viewer a sense of peace — a rare smith who expresses a worldview enfolding the "purity" (kiyoraka-sa) that is one of the ultimate ideals of the Japanese sword.

Selected record:

• 1979 — Shinsaku Meitō-ten, first entry, selected
• 1985 — Shinsaku Meitō-ten, Effort Prize
• 1998 — Shinsaku Meitō-ten, Excellence Prize (exhibited)
• 2000 — forging and sword dedication at Atsuta Shrine
• 2001 — Shinsaku Meitō-ten, Effort Prize
• 2010 — 1st Shinsaku Nihontō Tōshoku Gijutsu Exhibition, Silver Prize
• 2013 — 8th Omamori-gatana Exhibition, Honorable Mention
• 2021 — Gendai Tōshoku-ten (Contemporary Sword-craft Exhibition), selected
• 2022 — Gendai Tōshoku-ten, selected

The mounting

The blade is preserved in a plain wood shirasaya (resting scabbard) with a gold habaki.

A pristine, freshly made hira-zukuri tanto by the contemporary Miyairi-school smith Shinano-jū Kiyonao — its exquisitely refined itame ground and quiet notare temper, tightened by goma-bashi on the front and a bō-hi on the back, embodying a serene "purity." A first-rank modern work to appreciate and treasure exactly as it left the forge.

Specifications

• Type: Tanto (hira-zukuri); carving — goma-bashi (twin grooves) on the omote, bō-hi on the ura; modern (gendaitō)
• Signature (mei): front — Shinano-jū Kiyonao kore o tsukuru (信濃住清直作之); reverse — Heisei 28, hinoe-saru year, summer (平成二十八年丙申夏, 2016)
• Certification: none
• Smith: Shinano-jū Kiyonao (real name Matsukawa Takashi) — Shinshū (Nagano); of the Miyairi school (pupil of Miyairi Kiyomune)
• Jigane: exquisitely fine, tightly packed itame with clear, fine ji-nie
• Hamon: shallow notare mixed with ko-gunome
• Blade length (nagasa): 22.7 cm / 8.94 in (about 7 sun 5 bu)
• Curvature (sori): 0.0 cm (mu-sori)
• Width at base (motohaba): 24.5 mm
• Thickness at base (motokasane): 6 mm
• Peg-holes (mekugi-ana): 1
• Weight (blade only): 170 g
• Condition: brand-new, as-made; no flaws or rust
• Mounting: shirasaya (plain wood resting scabbard) with a gold habaki
• Torokushō (Japanese registration) No.: Nagano 90494