Soooo, an old guy that I’ve done some business with over the past few years told me he wanted to give me a katana he found in an old house out in the country that he inherited (along with the items within). But he couldn’t find it before he met me today.
On the off chance this thing turns up and he does indeed gift it to me… I assume I have to inform the police and register it.
Any chance I could get arrested for having it in my possession before registration? Like if he shows up and drops it off at my house and then I tell the police, already having it… is that a problem?
No idea how serious this guy is. He gave me an old painting and some Ainu stuff already, so maybe….? It would be the coolest thing anyone ever gave me though 🫠.
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Katakana are art pieces. You’re good.
Used to know a guy who worked in demolition of houses. The typical work contract states that the house construction materials and contents belong to the demo company, because they are going to haul it away for incinerating and recycling, right? Well, grandpas and grandmas stash a LOT of interesting stuff in their homes that their grieving kids never find. One thing is katana. This guy has storage units full of treasures.
I was gifted an old Edo era katana years ago. Since the registration certificate was still attached to it we were able to do an ownership change by mail with the local city hall.
To answer your question about an unregistered weapon being a problem: it very well could be. [This page](https://www.touken-world.jp/tips/57440/) has some good tips on things to look out for and general procedures to follow when bringing it in for registration.
Bottom line is that things are much easier if you can get the current registration certificate. Without it you’ll probably need to spend some time and effort explaining where you got it from and why you should be allowed to keep it.
銃砲刀剣類所持等取締法
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If it only for display/art, you need a different permit.
You are obligated to defend their estate against barbarian invaders.
You need to register it (in your name) as soon as you get it, especially if it is not registered already.
If it was not registered, the people in charge will ask (and probably want to see) where you found it. I stress that you cannot wait between getting the sword and going to have it registered. A good relation of mine recently received a spear, and we discussed how you basically must say “I found/got it yesterday”.
If the sword is in bad shape, they may take it for destruction (if it’s badly chipped or partly broken, etc.).
※This link explains also about registering a sword that has been found (in Japanese):
[https://nbsk-jp.org/hakken/](https://nbsk-jp.org/hakken/)
You get some fruit, a good friend, couple a beers – play some OG 90’s hip hop, fruit ninja! Voila
If it’s already registered you can easily change the registration to you.
If it is not registered yes you take it to the police, they issue you a document and then you take the sword and the document to the local board of Ed sword registration party typically held monthly, depends where you live.
(Board of Ed is responsible for registering Cultural Artifacts which is what the sword is, if it’s real.)
If they authenticate it they’ll issue registration on the spot. Otherwise they will confiscate it as an illegal weapon.
I was gifted an Edo era katana and family heirloom about 15 years ago. It had been last registered in the 1950’s and I still had the old tattered card.
Right, wrong or indifferent ,I disassembled it and carefully packed it in my suitcase to bring it back home abroad. I nervously carried it across Honshu and to the airport where I watched my bag go through the metal detector (checked bag). At the time at Narita you could watch your bag go through and could see the actual scan — sure enough I could clearly see the blade as clear as night and day as I sweated bullets.
Thankfully no one cared or noticed and I made it through both Narita and US customs. I now have it proudly displayed next to my grandfather’s childhood rifle.
An old farmer way out in the countryside gave me an old and very rusty sword. He said he was out in the wooded area looking for mushrooms and found it stuck deep into the earth to the handle. He said the handle was sticking out a bit and badly damaged after it rained a bit. I have it home and I can only imagine how old it is, why was it concealed in the earth like that and who did it belong to. I just have it leaning in a corner at home with the “ichiban” headband you’d at those tourist shops draped on it because I like to think it belonged to Afro Samurai.