Katana signed Shinano-no-kami Minamoto NOBUYOSHI with)Black Ro-iro lacquered scabbard Uchikatana Koshirae

Shinto advance early Edo period (Shouo era to Meireki 3rd / 1644-57) Yamashiro
Length of cutting edge 71.5cm Curvature 1.2cm Width of base 31.2mm Thickness of base 6.8mm Width of Yokote 18.2mm

NBTHK(Tokubetsu Hozon) certificate for Katana

with)Black Ro-iro lacquered scabbard Uchikatana Koshirae

NBTHK(Tokubetsu Kicho) certificate for Tsuba

Blade construction: Shinogi-zukuri, Iori-mune, Leangh of cutting edge measures 2-shaku 3-sun 6-bu (71.5cm). Harmonized curve near the base while the rest is nearly straight. The entire blade is rather on longer side and due to new preferences in swordmanship for thrusts rather than for cuts during advanced early Edo period. (click HERE for super sized image of entire blade)
Carvings(Horimono) : Bo-hi grooves that chiselled half way to Nakago
Forging(Hada): Forging is conspicuous Itame wooden grain mixing in with Mokume burl pattern. Lively Chikei-scene where sparkling Ji-nie metal glitter covers on Hiraji-surface that generates energetic Nie-lines.
Temper(Hamon): Hamon starts with long Suguha straight Yakidashi, the high-tempered edge forms two to three large Gunome patterns connected by gentle curves of Notare, interspersed with large clusters of Choji and small pointed Togari-ha. The boundary line is bright with densely packed fine Nie particles that accumulate thickly where long lines of Sunagashi appear in the valleys of the Hamon.
Temper of tip(Boshi): Boshi forms large circle turns back in good manner.
Tang(Nakago): UBU in original, One peg hole. Greatly slanting left Ō-sujikai with upper horizontal Kesho filemarks. U-shape Kurijiri heel. A bit contoured back ridge where greatly slanting left filemarks appears. The signature in front starts with a title Shinano-no-kami 信濃守, the name of clan Minamoto 源 and the smith name NOBUYOSHI 信吉.

The flamboyant quenching temper line (Hamon) starts from a long straight section so called Yakidashi, features undulating patterns connected by waves, alternating between narrow and wide sections, forming a big surges of Toran-ha pattern. The fine Nie crystals along the edge shimmer brightly, while within the hamon, a stream of Sunagashi swirling lines flows continuously, crossing over thick Nie-ashi legs), with sparkling thick lines of Kin-sen running through the tempered surface.

According to the "Nihonto Meikan," "Shinano no Kami Nobuyoshi" 信濃守信, real name "Takai Kinzaburo" 高井金三郎 was a swordsmith who lived in Aburakoji street, Rakuyo in Kyoto. He is said a relatives of Iganokami Kin'mich 伊賀守金道 and was listed among the "Kyo Go-Kaji" (the Five Swordsmiths of Kyoto) who served the imperial court.
There were two generations of NOBUYOSHI 信吉. The first generation used the character for "Yoshi" under the surname Fujiwara 藤原 while the second generation, his son-in-law, switched to the Minamoto 源 surname and used a different Kanji character for "Yoshi" .

The accompanying Uchigatana koshirae mount is a superb work with a robustly shaped Saya-jiri end of the scabbard and adorned with sprendid fittings of peonies in gold Takabori (high-relief carving) and Shi-shi (lions) in black Shakudo Katabori (relief carving) Menuki, all these fittings are fresh wrapped in gold-brown silk cord and is equipped with a Satsuma-style iron giant radish Tsuba handguard.
(Sword koshirae full view photo, FRONT/BACK : CLOSE-UP photos of fittings)
This is an excellent work by the 2nd. NOBUYOSHI , one of the Five Swordsmiths of Kyoto, embodying the elegant style of the capital Yamashiro as well as the spirit of the brave Samurai in high class.
Good old polish/Condition scale: excellent - very good (using a scale of mint-excellent-very good-good-fair-poor) There are some insignificant stains and slight rust due to old polish, those wares will be removed by skilled polish treatment
Silver-foiled single-layer Habaki, The katana is preserved in a plain wood mounting of Shirasaya.

(note) According to "Tōken Bijutsu" (issues 803/804), the 2nd-generation NOBUYOSHI took after to instruct the 3rd-generation(the eldest son of 1st gen NOBUYOSHI) who intended to succeed NOBUYOSHI 信吉 lineage, He resigned appointed "Shinano no Kami" 信濃守 title then changed his title to "Echizen no Kami" 越前守 in the 27th day, 7th month Meireki 3rd (1657) and relocated to Osaka, where he was permitted to engrave the chrysanthemum crest on the tang. This suggests that "Shinano no Kami Minamoto no NOBUYOSHI" 信濃守源信吉 and "Echizen no Kami Minamoto no NOBUYOSHI" 越前守信吉 were the same person.

(note) According to Fukunaga Suiken's "Nihonto Daijiten," the original "Kyo Go-Kaji" were Iga no Kami Kinmichi, Ōmi no Kami Hisamichi, Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi, Awataguchi Ōmi no Kami Tadatsuna, and Shinano no Kami Nobuyoshi. When Tadatsuna and Nobuyoshi relocated to Osaka, both Echu no Kami Masatoshi and Izumi no Kami Rai Kinmichi were sunstituted for the group.

References:
Tsutomu Kojima "Token Bijutsu" (issues 803/804), "Research on Swordsmith Nobuyoshi," published in Reiwa 5 (2023) December and Reiwa 6 (2024) January
Fukunaga Suiken, "Nihonto Daihyakka-jiten", Yozankaku, Heisei 5 (1993)